Angel Fire—天使の火
by CrescentiC
Summary: Rin Okumura kept in mind what Shiro Fujimoto said: "All kinds of humans and demons will seek you out for their own agendas!" Yet he and Shiro hadn't realized demons and humans weren't the only ones after Rin. There were beings that surpassed even the high-ranked demons, and the only objective on their agenda is Rin's death. Some chapters are rated M for vivid descriptions of gore.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

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_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Part 1: Prologue—**__**プロローグ**_

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_"...War arose in heaven, Michael and his angels were fighting against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him."_

— Revelation 12:7-9

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**"Whoa! That's so awesome!" A young boy shouted in excitement and awe. **He continued to listen to the priest sitting on an old wooden chair by his bed side. The boy continuously shuffled through his covers, he could no longer sleep anymore due to a rush of excitement. His big, sapphire eyes laid glued to the priest's hand. A big, meaty book entitled the _Bible_ was held delicately in the father's long, slightly wrinkled fingers. The priest paused a moment to smile at the boy, pleased by his interest.

"What do you think, Rin?" The priest asked the young lad named Rin. The boy stopped to look up into the priest's tired eyes, a flicker of candle light reflected off the priest's eyes and shone a small area of his round, red-tinted glasses. The moonlight passing through the window beside the father casted a soft, bluish glow in contrast to the orange candlelight, exaggerating his wrinkles on his face. The boy continued to stare until he let out a toothy grin, with a small gap along his smile. He balled up his pudgy fists and raised them confidently into the air, as if cheering.

"I wanna meet one! That'd be so cool! They can fight! I wanna fight with them and beat the bad guys!" Rin responded with big, shining blue eyes. He began to throw his fists into the air while imitating the sound of many punches. Rin laughed and jumped out of his covers and onto the creaking wooden floor, then charged around the priest with his hands in a position holding a sword. "Take that!" He cried, and swung his imaginary sword. His tiny, bare feet slapped against the creaking floor as he continued to run, without a sign of stopping. He swung his imaginary sword at the air before him, pretending like there were incoming enemies and he smote them with heroic execution. The priest laughed as Rin now imitated he had a pair of wings by flapping his short arms. His laugh stopped abruptly when Rin added something else along his lines.

"With their help, I'll be able to kick Satan's ass!" Rin said and he pretended to lay a kick. The priest, however, laid a quick spank at the back of Rin's big, hairy head. Rin stopped imitating his act and turned towards the father, both his small hands clasped over the sore spot that made contact with the father's hand. The father restrained his urge to headlock the boy.

"Rin! No swearing in the house of God!" The father cried out in offence, ashamed of the boy. Rin's head sank into his shoulders, but then hid all the guilt by smiling coolly. Rin knew that the father will impose his punishment next.

"Tomorrow morning, when you wake up, you will confess for your sins," the priest said then crossed his arms and legs in indignation.

Rin's devilish smile was wiped off his face. "Oh, come on, Dad!" He whined. Normally, Rin expected the Father to take away some favourite toy of his, but no—it was much worse. The boy stood still with a fat pout and crossed his arms. It may not seem like much, but to Rin Confession was the worst punishment ever invented. It involved sitting on his knees for hours confessing everything he had done to a statue of a man hanging on a cross in the church, whether it be lying, back-talking, using God's name in vain, and even when he punched a little boy in the face—or was it more than one boy? Despite living in a devout religious family, Rin was a rebellious and troublesome scamp, and he always had punishments imposed on him.

Confession always resulted in bruised knees and a stiff back, and since Rin always got his knees hurt from fighting at daycare, confession just made the pain worst. He felt this uneasiness when confessing all the bad actions he did, and most of them his father doesn't even know. What's the point of telling a statue all the wrongdoings you've committed? It's not like it'll hear anything anyways, or that confessing will change anything. Despite all this, the worst part is he couldn't get away with lying his way out of confession, and he certainly loved to lie. It was very difficult to restrain an incident to himself, especially from a priest who constantly babbled lectures trying to convince him that lying is a sin. Rin heard the lectures so many times he could memorize it and perform it as a speech. The worst is those words have now become drilled in his head, and whenever he did something wrong, those words sounded in his ear, and he began to feel guilty for once. The truth had been forced upon his helpless self!

"Please, dad! _Anything_ but Confession!" Rin dragged on, begging, trying to justify his excuse for using that one, bad word. "At least I said it for a good purpose!" He added, "besides, I'm fighting with the good guys!" Rin formed a cheeky smile on his face. The priest had to agree that his fictional ambition was some sort of good act. The father only frowned slightly.

"I believe in them! They protect us from demons, right?" Another voice, less loud then Rin's, sounded. Another boy, who sat silently on his bunk above Rin's, spoke at last. The priest looked up to the bunk above Rin's bed, the other boy sat calmly on his knees. The covers enveloped around him, as if he were cold. He was small and frail unlike Rin. His short chocolate hair was different to Rin's messy, layered navy hair, plus he had big, squared, thick-rimmed glasses that were bigger than his soft, round teal eyes.

"Do angels really exist, Father Fujimoto? I've never seen one ever..." he spoke eagerly, but then the tone of doubt could be noticed at the end.

"It's all up to your faith, Yukio. Do you believe in them?" Father Fujimoto responded with a warm smile. Yukio paused to reflect on the father's question, his little finger touched his small, lower lip.

Indeed, now that he thought about the father's words, Yukio did feel safe from the thought that a supernatural power was watching over him. Why did he feel so safe knowing some good force existed? The world is not as lonely as it seems to most people—humanity knew only a bit about this world that was only a part of the big picture. Yukio and Father Fujimoto are two of the few who possess the whole truth about Assiah, in other terms, Earth. There is an ancient evil that has invaded the world since the beginning of time—evil that exists even today. _Demons_. That is the term that describes these evil forces. Yukio would rather have humanity remain oblivious about demons. The world would certainly go in a panic if they saw what he and his father see daily.

Since his birth, Yukio had been seeing the demons that crept silently in this world, and he and his father were the only ones aware of his born sight. Every day, he would wake up in his bed with that horrible feeling of facing another day seeing hell before his eyes: blood-dripping beasts clawing at his backpack, the terrifying shrill of a ghost in his ear, and a hobgoblin attempting to pull at his hair and destroy his books whenever he was alone and secluded. He would always get picked on and identified as the schitzo nerd by his own classmates—the teachers even began to believe the children. He would scream in the middle of a lesson from a demon pulling at his hair and whispering tempting, hurtful words, despite nothing could be seen from the humans' blind eyes. He would jerk suddenly and cover his ears from another demon dragging their long nails down the chalkboard, filling the room and his head with the painful ear-splitting screech as it looked straight into his wet, innocent turquoise eyes. Now, thinking that he was not alone, especially with a powerful species watching over him, that fearful feeling of facing these demons seemed to have vanished away.

Yukio looked down to the small palms of his hands, then clenched them. "... I feel like I want to fight by their side, y'know? I want to become strong enough to protect myself from demons." Yukio tried to say it confidently, but Father Fujimoto knew it had a greater, implied meaning to that of a naive little boy. Yukio's words were serious unlike Rin, who played it as a joke. Rin has no clue about these demons, and that they even exist. Rin considered his father simply as a shaman aiding people with their inner problems. He was the lucky one blinded from the other side of this world, and Father Fujimoto knew Yukio envied that about Rin.

Of course, Rin had the easy way out of this torture.

The priest could do nothing but smile sadly at the young, brown-haired boy.

"Dad already _is_ fighting by their side, duh! He's an exorcist, he'll protect us from those demons!" Rin, still pumped up with energy despite his punishment, shouted as he pointed his small finger at a now grinning Father Fujimoto. Yukio smiled too, but forcefully. He imagined himself becoming an exorcist just like his father when he will grow up one day. When it comes to looking at this world from an oblivious, human perspective, he saw it a whole different way—with the whole, painful truth conscious in his mind. Could that be the only reason to protect himself from the darkness that lurks around him? Becoming an exorcist? He was certainly afraid of the dark, and it was true that monsters would really hide under someone's bed. These fearless creatures—_angels_—were responsible for extinguishing demons. He remembered a moment ago when Father Fujimoto quoted the mighty archangel Michael fighting the dragon known as Satan, the father of all demons. Now humans can extinguish demons too—just like his father—but can a weak, little boy like Yukio take on their risky role?

"Both of you seem fascinated by these creatures mankind barely knew," Fujimoto said with a soft grin then let out a large yawn, which stimulated more yawns from two smaller mouths. The exorcist closed the book and set it on the small bedside table as the boys shuffled into their covers and prepared for sleep. Yukio brought up his soft, green blanket close to his face and sucked on his thumb. Rin patted his pillow then dived his head into it, then slipped into the covers and looked at the exorcist expectantly, "do you believe in them, Daddy?" Rin said softly as he also started to suck on his thumb.

Father Fujimoto looked at him and responded, "in fact, I do. Do you know why?"

Both boys responded quietly, "why?"

The exorcist stood up and pulled the covers and tucked them around Rin's small body. His words were warm and comforting. "Because I know angels are watching over us. We are alive because of them. If you feel in danger, just remember that they will aid you no matter what. You may not see them, but they are there. Talk to them and they will listen. I have faith in them because you two are alive today, and I am grateful for their protection. You two are the most precious children I was ever blessed with."

Rin and Yukio both smiled sweetly, delighted by their father's response. Soon they slowly dosed off into a safe, dreamy sleep. Father Fujimoto leaned down towards the small table and blew at the candle flame until it died down into smoke. The smell of incense danced lightly in the night air. He slowly walked towards the doorway, the sound of the floor under his shoes creaked weakly in the silence. When Father Fujimoto's hand hovered above the switch, he paused to look at the two boys and added, "goodnight, Rin and Yukio, don't let the bed demons bite." That joke created some giggles from the boys—mostly Rin. Father Fujimoto smiled one last time before he flicked the light off and closed the door with a creak, then a click. The moment he turned his back to the door, the exorcist's smile drained away in horror when a thought struck in his head about Rin. The exorcist tilted his head up and rested it against the door, then let out a shaky breath. He ran his cold, lanky hand down his face and looked up at the ceiling, then at the small, metal cross that hung above the doorway to his own bedroom across the boys' room. Father Fujimoto felt his heart cringe at the thought of Rin's situation. Deep down inside, against all he had said, Father Fujimoto began to believe—fearfully—that Rin was the only human in this world the angels will turn against.

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**A/N: Well, here's the first chapter! Hopefully you enjoyed this prologue and I'm thankful you took some time to read it! Reviews will be greatly appreciated as they inspire me to continue forward!**

**Constructive criticism is welcomed as always! I'm not gonna be offended, so please say what you think and help me improve as a writer.**


	2. Chapter 1: Genesis

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

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_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 1: Genesis**_

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**"On Thursday, September 23, another mysterious occurrence has been reported. **Police are investigating a train derailment that happened on the Sōbu Main line. The train was passing through Chiba towards Tokyo when the train suddenly derailed, killing one-hundred and ninety-four passengers and injuring eighty-nine. One-hundred and sixty-three passengers remain missing in the accident, including the engineer. Police officials identify the cause as an unknown terrorist attack. A survivor had reported that the air started to smell like sulphur before the accident happened..." The female reporter on screen continued to report the incident. The camera panned towards the accident behind the reporter. The train looked like nothing but a mashed up mess of metal. Scraps of metal and debris laid everywhere, and the flashing blue and red lights of the paramedic vans and police cars flickered in the scene, carrying injured passengers in stretchers and loaded them into the back of the paramedic vans. Utility poles were knocked down and smashed by the train, with lines of cable and power lines laying on the ground and hanging on the poles. Nearby homes were nearly destroyed, plastering the ground with more debris and bits of wood and bricks.

"Quite terrible, isn't it?" The waiter said when he stopped washing a table and looked up at the television pinned up on the wall. "Japan's trying to bolster up _Shinkansen_ safety, but I guess that ain't working out—go figure."

He turned his gaze away from the screen to a young individual who looked like an adolescent, who was sitting at a table alone slurping noodles.

The young teen swallowed the noodles down loudly and placed the chopsticks beside the bowl. "It is," she replied, going along with the conversation. "It's quite mysterious for a train to suddenly derail for no apparent reason. I wonder why there are passengers missing?" The young individual picked up more noodles with her chopsticks and slipped them into her mouth.

"I don't know, it's quite supernatural actually, like some invisible thing pushed the train off course. And those passengers—sounds like they were whisked away into thin air, out of existence," the waiter responded and returned to washing the table in front of him. "—But strange stuff happens all the time in this world, so I guess I'm not too suspicious," he added.

The adolescent continued slurping her noodles.

The glimmer of lighting from the television screen reflected off the girl's suspicious eyes. She furrowed her eyebrows and directed her dark brown eyes down to the bowl and laid the chopsticks beside it.

She leaned back on the squeaky wooden chair and pondered.

_Another one._ She thought.

She sifted in her pockets of her black hoodie and one of her hands pulled out a small ticket. The same name of the train and line were printed on the smooth paper.

_Great… there goes my journey to Tokyo_. The adolescent thought when she looked down at the ticket, showing no sign of disappointment. She then looked out through a window. Rain pelted against the glass, leaving many water trails behind as the heavy droplets fell.

She thought about how lucky she was for not being on that train at that time, or else she would be one of those unfortunate victims... well, not really. She could have survived, because she would know what had really happened. What the reporters say are false, at least to people like her. She knew immediately the truth behind this 'accident', or if it _is_ one. The waiter was right about one thing—the incident _is _supernatural. It wasn't a terrorist attack, and humans weren't responsible. It seemed human beings always turn towards some form of human excuses to explain things that they couldn't understand—mainly because they don't know the truth. She concluded that it was not humans that caused the problem, nor faulty mechanics either. Something else, something menacing that humans are clueless about.

_Demons._

The young adolescent was one of the few who knew about this species most humans couldn't see.

Because some like her aren't so blind like the rest of the population.

"_Proverbium est Phantasma..._" She whispered. _Phantom Train_. It was one of the millions of species of demons that roamed on this dimensional plane called Assiah. Every single one was malicious and intends to kill off as many humans as it can take. Fortunately, instead of cringing in fear like what normal people would do and run away at the mere sight of one, she knew how to deal with these creatures if she faces one. She's part of a small group of beings capable of expelling demons from this world. They call themselves _exorcists_—soldiers specialized in exterminating these fiends. However, demons were becoming more and more difficult to maintain recently. They have caused so much havoc for ages that people are dying, and exorcists are becoming smaller in numbers.

The girl spoke into her head as she closed her eyes, trying to conjure a theory for the accident. She looked up at the television again and observed the train in the background. She pursed her lips and frowned at the screen as she thought to herself.

_It seems there was never an engineer inside the train, because the demon took possession of it. It's possible the demon had collected enough souls—__one-hundred and ninety-four souls__—and the __one-hundred and sixty-three__ missing ones in the train, and had transported these souls into Gehenna via trans-dimensional travel_.

_Precisely correct_. A deep, rigid voice filled her head, echoing every corner of the girl's mind.

"Then that means 357 human beings are dead," she said flatly at loud, her voice didn't indicate if she was disappointed or amused.

"Excuse me?" The waiter said and looked at the girl as if she went mental.

"I wasn't talking to you," she said sharply without making eye contact, keeping her attention on the noodles, but the waiter took her reply more offensively.

The girl looked at the waiter when he looked away as the voice continued to speak.

_I am afraid there is nothing we can do at this moment but to prevent any more deaths from happening. Our main priority is the mission, Amitiel. _The manly voice sounded in her head again. There was a long pause after that, leaving the girl named Amitiel to think about what the voice said.

After the prolonged pause, the voice returned to her head again. _Amitiel, I sense another one 500 meters away from your location. Hunt it down_. The voice commanded her.

The waiter stared at the screen when suddenly he heard the chair beside him screech against the wood. The waiter watched as the girl suddenly slid off the chair, placed a bill on the table, and walked away at a rushed pace without a reason towards the door, almost like someone commanded her to do something like she was a machine. Her expression remained blank as she pushed the door open. The waiter ran his hand through his dark brown hair and eyed the girl named Amitiel as she left the peaceful, lit up restaurant and plunged back into the dark, busy streets of the city.

Amitiel stood still in front of the doors, looking ahead at the busy street coming across her. Rain poured heavily in the city. People hustled through the wet sidewalks with umbrellas suspended above their heads. The umbrellas where dripping with water.

Despite it was nearly midnight, the street was thriving, with buildings decked out in different signs exhibiting different colours of light. The water trickling on the road reflected all the light back up at the sky. There was so much brightness the street looked like it was in daylight. Cars blared their horns in the middle of the long traffic lights, and some people moved by bike. The girl looked up at the black sky, covered in clouds that flashed and created a rumbling sound. Rain droplets pelted her face, drenching it in water, and soaking her blond hair into heavy, dripping waves. The droplets absorbed into her black hoodie, slowly becoming damper by the minute. Her leggings were already almost soaked, and unfortunately—she had no umbrella. Amitiel only scanned the crowd, eyeing every single face that she saw like a hawk. Amitiel pulled her hood over her wet hair and she began to walk forward. One by one she looked at a new face, as if searching for this demon the voice called out for her to search. She looked at the faces passing by her and scanned every detail, using her senses at the same time to find the demon.

She felt nothing but human auras, except for a few odd ones that were identified as demons, but none were threatening enough for her to kill.

Amitiel moved herself forward, scanning every corner of the street with her sixth sense. She was thankful she can only rely on her senses because she felt lost.

She thought Japan was a maze, because everywhere she went there was always something she couldn't recognize—despite living there for over 15 years.

Amitiel hurried across the road to reach the other side, pulling her hood over her head even further to protect her hair from the heavy rain. So many people cleared out from the intersection the moment the light with the shape of a human being changed red. Amitiel was meters away from reaching the sidewalk when an alarming noise screamed in her ear. Amitiel jumped back just in time for a vehicle to suddenly brake in front of her. Amitiel calmly stared through the blinding headlights at the man shouting at her behind the wheel and desperately gestured her to move aside.

Amitiel watched from the sidewalk as the driver sped away in a rush. Water splashed behind the rear wheels and spilled all over her rubber boots. She turned her back on the road and focused on the next street in front of her—hopefully she won't run into a car accident next time.

Amitiel quickly moved through the crowd on the sidewalk. The girl bumped into the shoulder of a young woman, and the two looked back to make eye contact, the woman frowned a bit, then returned her attention ahead of her. Amitiel started to sprint through the people walking against her. There was no way she could reach her destination in time. The demon must have moved away from its designated location by now.

Then a pulse hit her. It was demonic, and more importantly, it was threatening enough for her to convince that was the demon the voice called about. Amitiel suddenly stopped in the middle of her tracks. Her shoes skidded against the water, splashing her pants and some people, who cursed at her. Amitiel closed her eyes and went into a deep state of concentration as she allowed her senses to take over and guide her towards her target. She charged through the people, avoiding and dodging them with precision despite her eyes were closed. She felt a tingle run up her neck as she felt a demonic presence nearby. She ran closer and closer until—

Amitiel bumped into someone to the point she almost knocked them down. Amitiel opened her eyes when the victim screamed at them.

"Watch where you're going, you bitch!"

Amitiel looked up and saw a middle-aged man, who was obviously pissed off at her.

Amitiel looked away and stayed silent to avoid any unwanted attention. She had no urge to shout back and just stood still. The man snorted and spit in front of her, causing his fluids to land just in front of her rain boots.

He coughed with a smirk and spoke at something in his hand.

"Sure, tell the boss I'm on it. He could be anywhere..." Amitiel took the chance to look up at him again. She noticed he had a weird intricate device held up to his ear, and he spoke to it.

"...Huh? True Cross Academy? I'm sure _he_ will take care of him, but who knows—there's a reason why he left the pit..." The man continued, observing around him. Amitiel stared at the man from bottom up. He was rather lean, dressed up in formal work attire (which was also wet). His dark hair was combed back and he had a bit of facial stubble on his chin and jaw lines. However, something was bothering Amitiel about this man. His presence was demonic. Humans, however, are oblivious to what is really inside a human body. Amitiel wasn't, she saw the man's essence. It was dark, cold, and menacing, almost as if a black aura was surrounding him. That is what all the presence of demons felt like. Amitiel stared at the man and glanced at a few Coal Tars loitering around his head.

The teen remained calm as the man flicked his rough gaze towards her. The moment they made eye contact, Amitiel had confirmed her target. She could see the beast inside those eyes. The slightly slit pupils were proof of his identity. He's the one.

The man paused from his conversation and spoke to Amitiel with a hard look on his sharp face. "Why the hell are you still here? What do you want, some money?" Amitiel just remained silent and composed. The man rolled his eyes and returned to his conversation. "Piss off," he added sharply.

Amitiel looked away, yet kept her attention on the man only and eavesdropped on his conversation, "...perhaps he would go to True Cross Academy, y'know. No one would suspect a demon to join forces with these hairy animals." The man talked, then checked a gold watch wrapped around his wrist.

_True Cross Academy... the school for training exorcists? _The demon's words piqued her interest. What was he talking about? Then suddenly a theory popped into her head. Amitiel seemed to understand what the conversation was implying. Could he be in True Cross Academy? Blending in with exorcists was smart cover; however, not before long when she finds _him_.

Amitiel's back straightened when the demon folded the device and stuffed it in his jacket. He whistled a rather eerie tune and began walking. He unfolded his umbrella and walked away. A sense of curiosity pushed the girl into taking action, she needed to find out what this demon was talking about. Did the voice know about this? Nevertheless, she believed there could be valuable intel with this demon. Her eyes darkened and Amitiel began walking behind the man ten meters behind, trailing him, almost like that of a kidnapper stalking their victim. She pulled her hood over closer to her face to hide it and placed her hands in her pockets, all while keeping eye-contact with the man. Lightning flashed as she stalked him from behind. On the demon's part, he walked calmly, no worries on his mind—unaware about the girl following him.

Amitiel swam through the flood of people, struggling to keep her gaze on the demon. She couldn't lose him, yet the chances were high. There was so many people she could lose the demon in a wink of an eye. She had to find out what's going on inside that demon's head, hoping he could be a potential witness.

Thankfully, the demon turned towards a dark, narrow, and dimly lit alley to light a cigarette. After the girl pushed her way through the crowd, she quietly slid behind a big garbage bin just in time for him to look around himself. He let out his black tail and revealed his horns as he lit a cigarette. He didn't move as he observed around him, as if expecting something.

The sound of distant car horns, tires splashing across the street, people walking, and the bark of dog could be heard in the distance. It was much quieter since the roofs above her shielded the ground from the rain. Amitiel's hands hovered over something beside her thighs. Her hands gripped something on each side of her thighs and two, identical curved silver blades with a smooth sheen slipped into view as she pulled them out of their sheathes. Intricate glowing glyphs adorned the silver blades' sheath and hilt. She leaned her back against the garbage bin (which was full, rotten, and filled with flies and Coal Tars swarming around. The smell of humidity just made it worse). She turned her head carefully at the corner of the bin to get a good look at the demon. Unfortunately, it was too dark to the point she had to rely on her senses instead of her sight. The only part of him she could see was his lit up cigarette butt, glowing red in the black obscurity of the alley. Amitiel decided to move quietly in the darkness towards the demon, using the dark as an advantage as cover from being spotted by the demon. As the man's back remained on her, she slowly moved closer. Her back arched low and she grasped her blades in her gloved hands as she approached the demon from behind with slow, stealthy steps.

When she was just behind the demon and began raising her blades, he held his cigarette between his teeth and spun around to lay a sharp, backhand punch against her cheek, causing Amitiel to spin around and fall straight onto the cold, wet ground. He roared and attempted to stomp onto her ribs, but Amitiel rolled aside, dodging the demon's feet from plunging right into her torso. She got up and swung one of her blades, but the demon caught her arm, twisted it, forcing her to release the blade and drove his knee in her stomach. She gasped and wringed herself free and threw many sharp, quick strokes of her other blade, shredding the demon's clothes. The demon roared in pain when her blade sliced through his cheek, splattering blood against a nearby wall. The blood on Amitiel's blade sizzled and steamed, while the same effect was occurring on the demon's cut. He grit his teeth in pain and noticed his wound wasn't healing immediately. He took a look at Amitiel's blade and noticed the runes carved into it. Realization hit the demon so hard he immediately recognized what he was up against, and to be honest, he wished it was anything but something like _her_.

The demon jumped back in precaution and observed his ruined suit and roared. Amitiel held her blade before the demon in her standard fighting position. She swung again but the demon dodged aside and grabbed her and threw her into the ground, breaking the concrete around her as her back hit it with such force.

When the demon realized she still had strength, he stepped on her hand, crushing her bones and ripped her blade out of her grip. Amitiel grit her teeth as she waited for her hand to heal. She felt the shattered bones under her skin form back together and sense began to return. The demon noticed this and proceeded to crush her arms and legs with his shoe, preventing her from even moving.

Smoke emitted from under his palm as the demon gripped her blade tightly while his skin burned against the blade's touch. His grip was so tight that it cut off his hand's circulation. His blood-red gaze laid murderously on the handicapped girl. Amitiel tried to stand up but her body gave out. Her expression showed no sign of fear or pain when she looked up. The demon held the blade up, preparing to cut Amitiel's vessel into shreds of guts.

Before he could react, he felt a strong gush of wind that forced him to shut his eyes and draw back. Bright light hit against his eyelids for a second. He opened his red eyes and the teen was gone, leaving only the large crater she created. He lowered the blade and prepared for the unexpected.

He gasped when the girl grabbed his hand and flicked it back beyond what his body could handle and a loud crack sounded. The demon growled and she ripped her blade out of his grip, grabbed the man from behind with her arm wrapping against his chest, locked his arms still, and placed the blade at his throat. He growled deeply and demonically at the sight of the familiar silver blade at his throat.

"_Angel. . ._" he growled while gritting his teeth, revealing his sharp fangs. He remained his attention on the blade, glimmering and reflecting the city lights back into his red eye, shrinking his slit pupil.

"Answer my question, demon, what do you know about the ninth Son of Satan?" She commanded.

The demon smirked sinisterly, "I knew what you were, and I knew I would lure you in this secluded place... yet I expected you to be the victim in this case." The demon continued to smile and fidgeted to escape, but she dug the blade in his throat, causing him to yelp.

"Argh, screw you! I don't know!" He roared. She dug the blade deeper into his throat, wisps of smoke emitted from the demon's sizzling wound as the blade crawled itself into his skin.

"Answer my question, that is no polite way to speak to your superiors. Besides, I know you're lying, I can see it in your damned eyes," she said.

The demon smirked menacingly. "I said I don't know. Isn't it a sin to eavesdrop on _my_ conversation, angel?" The demon chuckled, mocking her beliefs. The girl's blade sent a sharp pain through the man's head, blood began to leak through the skin.

"You go any deeper and this man's dead!" The demon laughed, knowing the angel couldn't do it because her job was the opposite of killing humans. Amitiel stopped.

"Then answer my question and I won't have to send your ungrateful self back to your leader," Amitiel said, which in turn would expect that it will spark some encouragement for him to spit out the answer. She knew even the Devil's minions feared him, because his fury had no limit.

However, the demon reacted in a way she didn't anticipate. "Heh heh, you can't make me. I ain't tellin' you shit!" He head-butted her, broke free and began to sprint to the end of the alley. Amitiel stumbled back and then quickly pursued the demon.

Amitiel ran after the escaping demon. Charging through the mass of rain to the monster ahead of her. She picked up her second blade that was still laying on the ground and ran. Her breaths became short as thirst coursed through her mind. The thirst to drive her blade up his jaw; spill his blood; kill him. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped her blades. She ran and ran, but no matter how fast she ran, the demon was still far up ahead. Amitiel's form disappeared out of thin air and reappeared right in front of the demon. He choked on his own spit and ducked just in time when Amitiel swung her blade in an attempt to behead him. He pushed her out of the way by kicking her back. His immense strength sent her flying out of the alley and crashed against the side of a passing car. The screech of metal hurt the nearby witnesses' ears and the car skidded to a halt. The vehicle's side caved in where Amitiel hit it. The driver inside went ballistic and immediately opened the door and looked at his destroyed vehicle, but then passed out from shock and a possible concussion from the force. The people and the surrounding vehicles stopped nearby and some people helped the poor driver to safety.

The demon smirked in satisfaction at the mess he made, but it turned into an annoyed frown when Amitiel pushed the metal crushing her with her bare hands against her and stepped out. The witnesses around her were horrified at what they were seeing. Amitiel regained her balance and stared at the demon murderously. Her forehead bled but the wound had already closed up, along with some broken bones.

The demon ran down the street and Amitiel flipped a blade in one of her hands as if she were holding a dart. She pointed it towards the demon and swung it. It zipped, spinning through the rain and damp air, chasing its victim at the speed of light. The demon heard the blade fly towards him and instinctively dodged aside and ran the other way, and the blade hit the brick wall instead. It made an acute sound and dropped on the ground. The tip had wedged into the hard concrete of the sidewalk.

Amitiel grabbed her blade out of the sidewalk and sprinted, running and bumping into many horrified and confused people. By the time she left, the ambulance and police have arrived at the scene.

The rain blew so hard against Amitiel's face, it actually felt like it was stinging her cheeks, plus her lungs and throat were burning. She suddenly ran into the shoulder of an old man and the poor man fell on the ground.

"Get out of my way!" The angel shouted as she looked back. Many other people dodged out of the demon's way and glued their eyes to the sprinting angel passing by them following the demon. The demon looked back at the angel and cursed. He grabbed and hurled a large garbage can from the sidewalk onto her path. Piles of garbage flooded out of the can. Amitiel gasped and jumped up, soaring over the garbage and landed on her feet.

Amitiel locked her gaze on the demon, who was much farther away and barely visible through the crowd, because of this, she had to follow the demon's essence. She could feel him from a distance, it was as if she could feel his heartbeat. Amitiel saw a woman walk right in her path. She pushed the woman aside with such force the woman dropped her grocery bags and fell onto the ground, spilling her groceries all over the wet pavement. A family rushed to her aid.

"Humans..." Amitiel hissed through clenched teeth as she kept running. She had to admit how weak and useless they had become. Why couldn't they be more powerful, more flawless? She was always against the creation of humans, nevertheless, she still is. If humans could see demons, they would be much stronger and independent… and intelligent.

Amitiel saw the demon run into another alleyway. Hoping the alley was a dead end, she slowed down until her feet stood still. She readied her blades from behind the wall and tried to take steady breaths. She turned and pointed a blade at the demon but found the alley empty. She panted and looked ahead. She breathed heavily from exhaustion, and her body was on fire. Her hair was glued to her head from sweat and rain and her clothes also stuck to her clammy, wet skin.

Amitiel took a few steps into the alley until she was in the center. She observed, searching near the roof and in the glowing windows on the buildings. Amitiel panted, struggling in spotting the demon in the dark, since the area was secluded from the intense lights of the streets. Barely any light from the street reached the alley.

After minutes of complete silence, the angel sheathed her blades. She didn't feel his presence, and so she concluded the demon had officially escaped. He may have climbed up the building and escaped on the roofs.

Amitiel turned around and walked towards the crowded street.

"He's gone," Amitiel spoke. "But I think we should go somewh—" Amitiel swung her fist back when she suddenly felt the demon's presence behind her. A hoarse cry came from the demon, forcing Amitiel to stop. She looked over her shoulder nonchalantly and looked down at what happened. A blade was struck through its head, yet nothing bled out. Despite there was a blade in the back of the man's head, the man looked unharmed and alive, and his demonic features were now human. She stared down with a blank expression and ripped the blade out of the man's head. There was no wound on the man's head, and Amitiel could feel the victim's aura reawaken within his own body, like the sun rising up after a long, black night.

She glanced to the direction the blade was launched and saw a tall man who looked like in his mid-forties. He wore a long black cassock and was standing on top of a large garbage bin several meters away in a corner from Amitiel. The darkness made him barely noticeable to the human eye. He glanced back at Amitiel as he lowered his hand and spoke to her telepathically.

_Never let your guard down, Amitiel. Do not jump into conclusion that it has escaped. If it were not for my assistance, he would have driven his fist right through your heart._ The man said, yet it didn't make Amitiel shudder at his chilling words.

Amitiel stood still, without showing a sign of shock or fear, or a rapid increase in heartbeat. She just looked straight ahead with vacant eyes, unconcerned from the thought of almost being killed.

"I'm sorry, Raziel," she paused, "…nice head-shot, by the way."

"Thank you kindly," the man named Raziel spoke through his mouth. He jumped off the bin and walked towards Amitiel. The closer he got, the taller he became. Amitiel could also notice the wrinkles at the corner of his dark-green eyes, followed by dark purple circles under them. His dark hair had areas displaying graying areas, especially near his ears. Amitiel slowly looked up to Raziel as he approached her, until he stood before her. Amitiel handed his blade back and he slipped it into his sheath on his belt.

"We must continue searching for the Son of Satan, do you still plan on going to Tokyo?" Raziel asked, crossing his arms. "Were you able to obtain information from the demon?"

"Yes... I believe we must go to True Cross Academy."

* * *

**A/N: well, this is the first chappy which introduces well...angels! These are the beings mentioned in the summary. As usual, reviews inspire me to continue so they will always be greatly appreciated! Thank you!**

**EDIT: Updated on March 6, 2016.**


	3. Chapter 2: True Cross Academy

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 2: True Cross Academy**_

* * *

**"Amitiel, wake up." A familiar voice broke through the silence, followed by a slight shake to her shoulder.** Amitiel sucked in her breath and opened her eyes. They felt heavy and stiff and Amitiel's hands instinctively rubbed against her eyes. She blinked a few times to reduce her blurry vision, when suddenly a piercing white light penetrated her eyes. It was so bright Amitiel's hands flew up and covered her eyes again, trying to avoid seeing that painful, blinding light from burning her eyes—

"Amitiel, what _are_ you doing?" The same voice sounded. Amitiel moved two fingers that was covering her eye apart, creating a small opening to see. She saw Raziel stood in front of the light, with arms folded and confusion crossing his face. She put her hands down and responded, "what?"

When Raziel moved away from the blinding light, Amitiel was about to cover her eyes again but she realized the light came from none other but a small, table lamp.

"We must get ready, wake up and get dressed. We are going to Tokyo," Raziel said while shuffling through her bag, then pulling out a set of clothes. He tossed them and the small pile landed onto the girl's head. Something red and black fell in front of her, and Amitiel shook the clothes off her head to find what clothes fell in her hands. She observed the long, black, white, and red striped tie. It felt silky and soft, and there was a slight sheen to it. The angel looked away from the tie and focused on what seemed like a white button-up shirt, along with a rippled pink skirt. Amitiel looked at a busy Raziel, and he was wearing his usual long, black cassock. He wore the same tie she had and was busy fixing it. There was also a pin resembling the symbol of the Knights of the True Cross adorned on his upper left breast.

"Put those on, you need them for your first day of school," Raziel said as he fixed his tie and gave her an impatient look. In reality, a father would be proud of his daughter's first day of high school—not in Amitiel's case. She wasn't really going to attend mainly for the sake of learning—she had other plans that were far more important. On the side note, Raziel wasn't even her father. He was one of the many brothers she has back in her dimension. Raziel stared at her with a sharp glance, urging Amitiel to slide out of the bed covers and carry her clothes into the bathroom of the room. Amitiel always expected these unamusing, intimidating glances from Raziel. She never witnessed a tiny laugh coming from Raziel, or even a smile. He was always too serious and was never capable of taking in a harmless joke. He was most commonly seen tired, irritated, and austere, so he never had the vibe to smile. This attitude of Raziel's wasn't due to lack of sleep, because Raziel never sleeps. If he did, it would be more a "snooze" than a sleep. As the result, he always had dark bags under his eyes from his vessel's inadequate amount of rest despite Raziel himself needing no rest, which added a touch to his grumpy personality. Raziel was always known to behave like that.

Despite his stern personality, he is one that anyone can trust and rely on. Raziel possessed wisdom beyond capacity and knowledge. He never breaks a promise or turn against his own words, even if circumstances forced him to.

Amitiel looked into the bathroom mirror as she adjusted her tie. She let go of the tie and it hung down. She had to admit the white shirt felt physically uncomfortable, but more importantly, the skirt was what bothered her the most. Her blades were too long to be covered up by the skirt, so they were bluntly exposed to the public. She preferred to wear pants as she can easily cover her blades up with them. Amitiel grabbed the pastel-yellow overcoat and slid her arms through the sleeves, she fixed it and then breathed out a sigh. The overcoat was tight around her arms and especially her shoulders. She was more built and muscular compared to a skinny, weak-looking girl. She added a final touch by slipping into white nylons and fitted her feet into black flats.

The girl tilted her head aside to observe the large wad of blond hair on her head. It wasn't as wavy as yesterday, instead, it was just a large mess of frizzy hair. It was normal for her hair to react this way due to the humid air, plus from tossing and turning in bed. Amitiel just took a few moments to brush down her hair, even though her hair just got puffier. The angel, instead, decided to tie her hair back in a quick pig-tail. The angel observed on the counter sink and found her sheathed blades sitting on the counter. Amitiel heard Raziel call her name and the girl took the sheaths and wrapped them around her thighs.

Amitiel's head jerked towards the door when Raziel called her name again. She walked to the door and stepped out. Raziel looked back and found her standing in her new set of clothes, except the skirt really bothered him since he could easily see her blades.

"Good, let us go to True Cross Academy," Raziel said and the two angels gathered their things and left the small room, then headed out of the _ryokan_ they stayed in.

* * *

Amitiel found herself staring up at the tall building of the train station. A fresh gust of warm air licked her as the automatic doors opened. Amitiel followed Raziel through the building, since he seemed to know where he was going. She mainly just dragged her suitcase behind Raziel while observing every person that was within sight. She looked for a sign, a sign of a demonic presence. That was what Raziel told her to do, demons can hide basically everywhere, and the fact that most people couldn't see these monsters proved a great advantage for demons to smuggle into Assiah without anything noticing them.

At least, in the past that was an advantage, until humanity discovered exorcism, and there grew men and women specialized with the ability to see demons and prevent these demons from terrorizing this world by laying down their secretive lives to protect it.

Angels, and what they call their world _Heaven_ or _Caelum_, _Nirvana_, and many other names, had given these humans the knowledge of exorcism—yet very few believed in that fact.

Raziel and Amitiel walked over to an open ticket booth. Raziel did all the talking and paying, of course. Amitiel merely stood still, quiet, and innocent, observing the people walking by with her serious brown eyes. Raziel thanked the man and the man passed the two tickets across the gap of the glass window.

"This is a perfect opportunity for you to hone your linguistic competence in Japanese," Raziel suggested to the angel beside him. Amitiel only shrugged her shoulders. In truth, she didn't quite enjoy talking to humans, not because she was shy, or that she wasn't great at speaking Japanese, but she just didn't want to socialize with them. She wasn't fond of humans, anyways. Although she prefers to speak her mother language Latin, and the scripture Enochian, Raziel forced her to speak Japanese upon arriving here in Japan.

Amitiel blinked when she saw a firm hand handing her ticket over in front of her face. She blinked again and took the ticket from Raziel's hand. She looked down at the ticket and asked, "when's our ride?"

"Not for another half-hour," Raziel responded after he slipped his ticket down his coat's pocket. Amitiel nodded and observed around herself. Her eyes swam across the large mass of faces that walked by. The angels walked into the platform of the station. The railway was silent and empty with no _Shinkansen_ in sight, but it was filled with people waiting for their ride, all of them were lined up in front of the railways. The large space was dim and dark from the lack of sunlight and the faint glow of the lighting around the buildings. It was still very early and dark, and the sun wasn't expected to come out for another hour. Amitiel did notice many demons were inhabiting the dark air. She wondered if many hid in the dark, awaiting to strike their victim like that demon almost did to Amitiel last night.

Every day, Amitiel would see so many demons, almost too many— especially in the night— the time when demons were the liveliest and active. The most common ones that were seen were _Coal Tars_, which were buzzing around like black flies. Honestly, she actually enjoyed squishing the little things with her hands. Their tiny, round bodies would burst inside her clenched fist, and when she opened her hand, all that was left was the black carcasses of the demon. As it looks, it seems that there are few exorcists left, and there are more demons instead. What might happen to this world without the exorcists?

Amitiel's thoughts had ended with the howl of the _Shinkansen_ passing out of the tunnel. Metal screeched to a stop as the _Shinkansen_ halted. The angels followed the people in when the doors slid open. Upon entering the bullet train, Amitiel noticed the appearance and structure looked like that of a jet. There were rows of two on each side of the _Shinkansen_, and it was well illuminated. People filed into the train and sat on their assigned seats, and some were busy packing away their possessions. Raziel repeatedly looked between his ticket and around the train, searching for his and Amitiel's seats. Raziel snaked his way through the people until he found their seats. Raziel offered Amitiel the inside of the row and she took it.

Raziel sat down, then looked to the back of the train and then to the front. He and Amitiel sat quietly and patiently as the people around them were busy. Raziel tilted his head when he saw a newspaper article rolled up and tucked into the pocket of the seat in front of him. He pulled it out and unrolled it. Amitiel watched as Raziel took out his black-rimmed glasses from one of his many pockets and fixed them on the bridge of his nose.

Amitiel let out a heavy sigh, since Raziel's attention was buried in the newspaper. She rested her arm on the armchair and her chin rested on her curled up hand. She looked out the window, struggling to stay awake.

Amitiel shifted her weight and looked up at Raziel, but he still didn't pay attention except on the newspaper. She then saw and old woman passing through with confusion. She looked around for what Amitiel assumed was her seat. She watched as Raziel drifted his attention from the newspaper, noticed her confused state, and asked, "ma'am, are you lost?" Amitiel just watched as Raziel helped the old women find her seat, which turns out to be right behind them. Amitiel could only furrow her eyebrows—she didn't understand it. She never wanted to help others, perhaps because it didn't concern her. Unless something had happened that affected Amitiel, she didn't bother to care.

"Why did you have to do that?" Amitiel asked as if Raziel did something wrong.

Raziel's green eyes turned towards dark brown ones. He raised an eyebrow and gave her a scornful look. "Helping others isn't a sin, Amitiel," he said sternly.

Amitiel looked away from his gaze and faced the window. "Yes but, she's got nothing to do with us. She doesn't need help from us, she can find her seat on her own, which so happens to be right behind us." Amitiel looked at Raziel with no sign of emotion.

Amitiel's response quickly earned her a blazing gaze. "Quit acting so irreverent, Amitiel," Raziel whispered with indignity in his tone. He looked away, firmly fixed his newspaper in his hands, and added harshly, "you will not get far if you do not change that attitude of yours. I understand that it is difficult for us angels to apprehend, but you must try to empathize." Amitiel only sighed, quite confused at his reaction since she didn't understand what she did to receive such a reaction. After all, she was just stating the truth about her opinion. She rested the whole weight of her head onto her hand resting up on the arm of the chair.

_Empathy_. She had no idea how that feels.

Amitiel heard on the intercom inside the _Shinkansen_ announcing the beginning of the travel. Soon after the announcement was finished, the train budged and its speed began to gradually increase. Minutes later, Amitiel watched as everything out of the window zipped passed her, it was going so fast it looked as if the whole scenery outside was blurry. The lights of the city glittered as the train passed through. The scenery was wiped off as soon as the Shinkansen entered a tunnel. Lights flashed by, illuminating the inside with an orange glow, which quickly faded and plunged the inside back into darkness, followed by another set of orange lights.

Amitiel was distracted from staring outside when the cry of a baby reached her ears. She looked beside and there sat a young family with a baby in the mother's hands. The baby was crying loudly, and the parents were getting restless. Amitiel wondered why the baby was crying so much—since its wailing bothered her ears. Out of nowhere, she saw a drop of black fluid plop onto the seat, just centimeters away from hitting the woman, she also noticed some of the stuff on the baby. Amitiel's gaze climbed up as she knew exactly what was there. A large mass of black gathered around the family on the ceiling of the train. That mass of black goo was composed of _Coal Tars_ bundled together—they're much more dangerous when grouped together.

Amitiel reached down for one of her blades without a thought. She tried to step pass Raziel but she suddenly felt a very tight grip on her wrist with the blade in hand. She looked at Raziel in confusion as he slowly lowered the newspaper and looked up at her. His green eyes showed grim disapproval at her decision.

"Leave it be." He said slowly but seriously.

Amitiel sat back down without hesitation. Raziel released her wrist and Amitiel fell back on her seat with no sign of irritation. She sheathed her silver blade and crossed her arms. "There's a demon, I must stop it," she stated.

"You will draw too much unwanted attention. These people do not know about the supernatural. Draw your weapon in public and you will be subject to arrest by the humans," Raziel said without looking back at her, remaining his eyes on the paper. "The last thing to run into is the police," he added.

Amitiel remained silent as Raziel looked aside at the family struggling to quiet their child. "Besides, Amitiel, you cannot just help others because a demon is involved. There are many things—excluding demons—that can put a human's life at risk." Amitiel sank herself into the seat, which was surprisingly comfy. Her eyelids slowly drooped lower and lower, until she felt Raziel move and her eyes opened up.

Raziel looked up menacingly at the demon above them. It bubbled and giggled, laughing at the hopeless family. Raziel continued to glare at the intruder as he slowly unfurled one of his wings. Amitiel watched as light began to glow beside Raziel out of thin air, forming the shape of a long, broad, avian wing. The wing outstretched and hovered above the whole family. Raziel's wing glowed a whitish gold. Light radiated from every feather, every part of the wing. Anyone who would have seen his wings would have been blinded. It was much brighter and larger than her wings. Suspended above the family, Raziel's wing seemed to act as an umbrella—a shield for the family. Despite this, no one on the train could see it, unless they were angels themselves.

Amitiel noticed a drop of black fluid from the demon dropped and landed onto Raziel's wing. Amitiel jolted when Raziel made a sudden wince. The goo began to sizzle on his wing, which caused another wince coming from Raziel, and a pained grimace on his face. The black goo sizzled through the glowing wing, merging in with the light, then disappeared, as if absorbed by the wing.

_Why would he be in so much pain just to protect complete strangers?_ Amitiel thought. She was dumbfounded. She didn't understand this at all. She didn't understand what he was doing—and why.

Raziel groaned and responded at Amitiel's mental thought, "because our lives are devoted to protect humans, not just killing demons. We protect humans from demons." He winced when another drop of the demon's fluids landed and sizzled on his wing. "I would endure so much pain to protect these people, you should too, you've kept your word on the promise you've made with the Creator," Raziel stopped and sucked in his breath when many drops of the demon's fluid dropped onto his wing. "Would you rather have a family receive _Temptaint_, and suffer seeing and dealing with the dark side of reality? Or would you do anything to prevent that, so that they can live happy and unafraid?" He grimaced again. Amitiel didn't know what to say.

A waiter walked through the aisle with a meal on his tray. He moved towards the end of the _Shinkansen_, towards Raziel's wing, which was blocking the way. He was coming closer. Closer towards them. Amitiel watched calmly and Raziel remained relaxed as the man passed right through his glowing wing, as if he was just passing through air. The part of his wing the man made contact with spread out like dust with the waiter. The waiter stopped suddenly as he felt a surge of energy rush through him. He blinked constantly and looked around confusingly, but then continued walking. Raziel's wing quickly reformed and it was whole again.

Amitiel followed her stare as the man continued walking down the aisle. It was a great advantage that no humans could be able to perceive an angel's wings, unless the angel chose to expose them. If they saw their wings, the human eye could not handle that much radiation, and they would go blind.

Amitiel turned away from the man and rested her head on the seat. She relaxed as she closed her eyes, hoping her vessel will get the sleep it missed. Raziel seemed to have endured the pain of the demon's fluids. A half an hour later, the demon had gotten bored and decided to leave and annoy someone else. Raziel withdrew his wing towards him and his wing merged into the air, then disappeared.

Amitiel realized the baby in the mother's arms was snoozing peacefully.

* * *

"Humans... built _that_?" Amitiel remarked as a large, detailed building loomed over the city horizon, with the train approaching it. It was morning, and the sun had risen into the sky, allowing the building Amitiel was observing to be clearer to see. She pressed her palms against the glass window and observed in curiosity at the mysterious building, she doubted if it was even built by humans. It wasn't anything she expected humans to build. She saw tall, skinny buildings Raziel called "skyscrapers", however this building in particular was unique. It was tall like those skyscrapers, yet it looked more like a mountain of edifices. It was so large in width yet it was tall in length, she was guessing it was True Cross Academy, based on the crosses that stood on the tips of the many towers. Amitiel continued to eye the enigmatic building as Raziel spoke to her.

"Human civilization is approaching our own. The Creator gifted these humans with very extraordinary intellectual capacity—some surpass even us. We use our supernatural abilities to build, but humans, who are born without potential power, have used their bare hands to create these... marvellous architectural works of art. What is your opinion on them?" Raziel asked and turned his head to the blond.

"Okay... I guess..." Amitiel said solemnly. Raziel had difficulty making out what she really felt, but by that monotone voice of hers—she didn't care.

"One day you will understand," Raziel continued. "You will appreciate these humans and the incredible things they can do."

"I shan't," Amitiel responded, without looking back at Raziel. "They're... they're too flawed. They're easily subject to temptation. All they care about is themselves, how foolish is that?" Raziel remained silent as Amitiel spilled out what Raziel thought were atrocities. Amitiel was viewed by Raziel as honest, almost too honest. Of course he forgot to expect these words coming out of her mouth, because whatever comes from Amitiel is only the truth.

"They murder each other, Raziel," Amitiel continued. "If it were not for their faulty and corrupted minds, we wouldn't have to babysit them from Lucifer and his demons. The Creator should just start over."

At this point, Amitiel had drawn the line. Raziel couldn't keep himself collected anymore. "Do not utter such blasphemous words, Amitiel!" Raziel shouted as he attempted to smack the back of her head but she blocked his hand from making contact. Raziel's eyes widened and Amitiel looked at him with a bored stare.

Raziel slowly shook his head and he retreated from her, although Amitiel didn't understand what the yelling was about for saying the truth.

"I can see you believe me as well, Raziel," Amitiel added, causing Raziel to force a lump down his throat.

The angels watched patiently as the train slowed down in front of True Cross Academy's train station, and it was there that Amitiel noticed people resembling her vessel's age were all wearing the same uniform she wore at this moment. Amitiel and Raziel watched as everyone was preparing to board off the train. People fetched their possessions and some were already ready. Amitiel looked around then stretched her arms up, releasing a large yawn.

Amitiel stood up and held onto a seat for support and stabilization. She followed Raziel towards the doors, with many people gathering, waiting for them to open. Amitiel leaned her heavy head onto the small metal bar. The angels noticed some people began to become impatient and complained about what was taking so long to open the doors. After many complaints started to spread around like a virus, Raziel grabbed the latch and tugged on it, but it didn't open. Raziel looked back at Amitiel, warning her of a possible event that is to come.

"_Proverbium est phantasma_?" Amitiel asked.

Before Raziel could reply the doors swung open, and people pooled out of the train, pushing each other through. Raziel and Amitiel were pushed out of the train, and Raziel caught Amitiel by the arm when she lost her balance. Amitiel clutched the handle of her suitcase and the angels walked away. Raziel had a cautious eye on the train before he also turned around and walked away.


	4. Chapter 3: First Impression

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 3: First Impression**_

* * *

**"So this is True Cross Academy..." The girl named Amitiel said as her gaze climbed up to the top of the building.** Its size seemed to have intimidated her, but still, she was finally here. Whatever she heard from that demon during his conversation must be true—or else she would have already known he lied to her and she would be somewhere else in Japan. If what he implied was what she was looking for, then it must be here. However, her senses were telling her to urge through the doors and find out if that demon wasn't fooling her.

Amitiel followed Raziel up the long stairway to the massive entrance to the academy. Amitiel pushed open one of the doors and a warm, breezy wind blew past her until she found herself standing in a massive open space the size of a football field. Ahead of her were a set of many automatic escalators leading to the main campus of the school. Everything in and out of the building looked exquisite and delicate, designed only for the most prestigious. Amitiel looked down and under them stood the glass-like flooring, with the large academy crest etched into the glass in the middle of the space. Amitiel noticed a shining reflection in the glass and looked up to find a large crystal chandelier suspended above the angels. The hallways were basically filled with long, glass windows on the walls with beautiful, majestic red drapes. There wasn't a single defect in the Victorian-style architecture and design of this building. It was _perfect_.

Aside from the luxury of True Cross Academy, Amitiel didn't stop to gaze in wonder at the building for very long. She fixed her eyes as she searched the students in her sight. One by one she scanned them, looking for _it_. If intel was correct, the Son of Satan must be here, however...

"He's... not here. I can't feel his presence anywhere," Amitiel finally said. "The demon said he was here. He _lied_," Amitiel continued, and Raziel looked down to her. Despite no part of her face moved to show anger, the essence around her felt almost threatening.

In a second, Amitiel swung around and began walking towards the doors, until a firm grip on her shoulder prevented her from moving any farther. Amitiel looked back to her shoulder and found out Raziel was holding her back.

"No, what he said was true. Satan's son _is_ here," Raziel responded without looking back at her.

What Raziel said puzzled her. "He's here? But I don't feel his presence," Amitiel's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I know that, Amitiel. Your senses are not as keen as mine." Raziel spoke and released his grip on her shoulder. He lowered his voice as he continued, "he must be skilled at cloaking his identity. I find this quite odd, do you?" Raziel asked and looked down at Amitiel, who didn't know what to say.

"You must take into consideration that the son of Satan is hidden within his own enemies. I must admit that would be the most simple-minded idea, yet at the same time... it is also brilliant indeed," Raziel spoke, Amitiel's attention drifted away as she only focused on the fact that Satan's son was right here in the same building. She was getting close.

"So the demon was right. Then I must go," Amitiel said and with that, began to walk deeper into the academy. She felt her blades strapped on her thighs and was preparing to unsheathe them when Raziel stopped her again. Amitiel turned around without a sign of annoyance crossing her face.

"Did you memorize your identity? Remember that in this academy, you will no longer identify yourself as Amitiel. You are a human, no angel. Use your weapons only when necessary, do not draw them in public or use them to harm any humans. Use your gift to uncover the lies hiding the identity of the son of Satan. Do you understand this mission?" Raziel looked at her with a hard look in his eyes.

"Yes, Raziel," Amitiel responded in loyalty. Raziel nodded his head and focused his attention behind Amitiel when an odd man stood out from the crowd. This odd man was dressed in a clownish attire walking with an umbrella oscillating gently around his left hand. His face was hidden under the shadow of his white top hat and his long purple side bangs. When Raziel's gaze followed the man's, his eyes narrowed in hostility when his eyes crossed paths with a demon, knowing exactly who was before him.

Amitiel immediately reached down for her blade and Raziel gripped her hand, forcing her to stop and release the blade back into its sheath.

"Not yet," Raziel said patiently as the demon squinted his eyes, then widened at the recognition of the two angels. The man approached the two angels with a wide smile, with the umbrella swinging delicately in the demon's gloved hand.

"Well, well! I haven't seen you Mr. Tanaka for quite some time!" The demon smiled, yet at the same time, the smile he was giving didn't seem as friendly as it seems.

"Neither have I, Faust," Raziel responded without returning the smile, and Amitiel knew he was not pleased by his presence. She assumed they had some hostility going on between them.

"So... this is your daughter?" The demon maintained his smile, but Raziel frowned. The demon named Faust made eye contact with Amitiel, and he could tell in her dark eyes she wasn't really welcoming. "For an experienced exorcist such as yourself, I am honoured that you've enrolled your daughter into my academy," Mr. Faust remarked and observed Amitiel with a keen eye.

Raziel looked down as he pushed aside his hate and responded civilly, "it is my honour to serve you."

Both Raziel and the demon bowed towards each other. Amitiel was about to say something but decided to keep her mouth shut. She knew every word coming out of the angel's and demon's mouths were all just lies. She felt them lie. What kind of relationship with that demon had Raziel just made? He wasn't working with a demon, is he? Worse, was he actually working _for_ a demon?

"Well, I must also introduce myself to you, Tanaka-san. My name is Johann Faust V, I am the director of True Cross Academy," and with that said, the demon removed his hat in politeness and offered to shake Amitiel's hand. She stared menacingly at him which forced him to retaliate his hand. Amitiel still maintained a blank stare on the demon. "Please, allow myself to guide you to your first classroom," the demon offered, and Raziel accepted. As Amitiel and Raziel walked past the demon, Raziel caught the demon's devilish gaze, his bright forest-green eyes stood out from the dark shadow of his hat. Raziel shot an intimidating glare at the director and reluctantly followed the demon.

Amitiel spoke in her head in Latin. _Who is he really? He's a demon, why would you even bow down to a monster?_ Amitiel's voice filled Raziel's head.

Raziel let out a small, quiet exhale. _He is recognized by many names, including the common name Mephisto Pheles, however, I know him personally as Samael, the king of Time and Satan's second son._ Raziel responded.

Instead of letting out a surprised gasp, Amitiel only blinked a few times without saying anything. Amitiel nodded her head in understanding.

_Aren't we supposed to exorcise demons? Why do you allow him to even walk foot in Assiah?_ Amitiel inquired.

_It is... quite complicated. You could say that Samael and I have had quite a history..._ Raziel trailed away, leaving Amitiel to question him in silence. Suddenly, Amitiel realized she wasn't in the same, open foyer anymore, instead, she found herself in an empty hallway, with the walls containing many doors. It doesn't seem like there was a ceiling at all, the walls just seemed to fade out into blackness as Amitiel continued to look up, unless the walls were just _that_ tall. All the doors had the same unique stained-glass patterns on it in many different colours. Amitiel watched as Mephisto stood in front of one of the doors in particular. He gazed up at it, then turned his demonic glance towards the angels.

"This is the first classroom you'll be attending for exorcism," Mephisto said as he stood and looked ahead at the colorful door. Amitiel observed the empty, narrow hall from both ways then followed Mephisto's gaze on the door, which was numbered _1106_. "... If you have any troubles, do not hesitate to speak to me," Mephisto concluded.

Amitiel just remained still, she looked ahead at the door. All that was running through her mind is what might lie beyond this colourful door. Could it be the truth? Or a lie? Either way, Amitiel will eventually find out. She reached for the knob when Raziel interrupted.

"Give me your suitcase, you would not want to drag that around." Amitiel allowed Raziel to take her suitcase. "Be sure to return to your dorm right after classes."

"Yes," Amitiel responded obediently, and Mephisto couldn't help thinking how much of a loyal, respectful daughter she must be.

"Swell," Raziel said, then turned towards Mephisto. "While we go on a nice evening stroll, I would like to have a word with you, Faust."

Mephisto lowered his head with his wide smile, revealing his sharp, glossy fangs, "very well."

Amitiel watched as Raziel and Mephisto walked away until they disappeared in the darkness down the hallway. Amitiel finally turned her head towards the knob, placed her hand on it, and then twisted it. She gave a push and the door opened, creaking slightly.

She looked inside and observed the classroom, then her eyebrows furrowed. For some reason, the room looked rundown and abandoned—paintings were crooked, forest green paint peeled off the walls, some lights were burnt out, and wires hanged from the ceiling. One second she was inside a beautiful, luxurious building, the next it looked like she stepped into an abandoned room that hasn't been used in decades.

She didn't move away from the door and observed the people. Near the wall opposite to the door, there were three boys: one was bald with glasses and one with pink hair—who winked at her—followed by a hard slap on his shoulder by a tall one with a yellow streak running through the center of his dark brown hair, he seemed to have a rough look with the piercings in his ears. In the middle of the classroom, in the back, sat a… hooded person and a boy who seemed to be talking to a puppet in his hand.

There was a girl with purple hair in long pigtails sitting at a desk, closest to the door. She had noticeably small, rounded eyebrows as well as crimson eyes. The girl laid her chin in her palms and looked at Amitiel with an unpleasant face. Beside her was also another girl with very short, layered brown hair and a complexion as soft as milk. She looked delicate. In the front sat a boy and a girl. The girl was wearing the traditional Japanese apparel, a _kimono_, they called it. She had blond, shoulder length hair and a soft face with innocent emerald eyes. She was the only student in the quiet room that smiled at her.

Amitiel blinked and looked away without returning the smile, which caused the girl's smile to drain away. Amitiel then observed the boy beside her, he had dark blue hair which rested in messy strands of bangs and vivid blue eyes. His skin looked paler due to his dark hair. The color of his hair and eyes were quite striking to the eye. He merely observed her with somnolent eyes.

Amitiel knew that maybe, by any slight chance, one of these students could be him—but there wasn't a single student that was aflame, so she came to a theory that maybe he can control his flames. However, that would never make sense. Amitiel then threw away the possibility that the son of Satan can control his own flames, not even the Devil himself can control them. Amitiel forgot that this small room was just a part of True Cross Academy, and there was still a lot of ground to cover.

He could be anywhere in True Cross Academy.

With a bland expression on her face, Amitiel turned around and walked out, leaving a few of the students exchanging confused glances and frowns, only to bump into what she assumed was the teacher, who appeared at the door at the right moment. He seemed to resemble a lot like the students' age. She looked up and saw he was tall with short brown hair. The first thing Amitiel saw were his round, soft, teal eyes. Over his eyes he wore black-rimmed glasses. She also noticed he had a few moles on his face, and wore the usual exorcist uniform like Raziel. He fixed his glasses and smiled, and Amitiel tried to walk past him, but the teacher closed the door on her.

Amitiel looked up with her dark eyes staring straight into his teal eyes. She felt slightly imprisoned, but the teacher only smiled and responded, "what enters in my classroom, stays in my classroom."

Amitiel turned a shoulder on the teacher and found an empty desk right in front of the door and the two girls. Amitiel sat down on the seat and crossed her arms and legs. She watched the teacher silently as he walked over to his desk across the door, with a briefcase in hand. Amitiel lowered her head but maintained her gaze on the teacher, when suddenly she felt someone staring at her. She shot a glance at no other but the blue-haired boy, who was also accompanied by the blond-haired girl. Amitiel looked away, ignoring his gaze on her. Truthfully, she didn't care if people would look at her. But what caught her attention was the fact that he was not staring at her, but at her long blade that was completely exposed instead of sitting under her skirt. Amitiel unsheathed her blade and quickly drove it into the surface of the wooden desk, creating a sharp sound. The boy gulped and cringed, while the girl let out a small gasp. Amitiel leaned her back on the chair and rested. She knew he wanted to see it, so she let him, yet she was unaware that most of the students had their attention on her—including the teacher.

"Excuse me, that is school property you have damaged. Would you like to pay for that?" The teacher asked sharply, but Amitiel only remained silent as she ripped the blade off the wood, leaving a deep cut in the desk.

The next thing that happened, the bell rang. Amitiel observed as the students pulled out their textbooks and other school supplies.

The teacher spoke, "alright, welcome back students. I hope the first day yesterday was a good start for this class. Now, I have an announcement to make, it seems we have two new students today: Shiemi Moriyama and Hana Tanaka." The exorcist looked up as the two students stood up and walked towards the front of the classroom. Amitiel stood beside the blond, and she noticed the blond was shorter than her. She had exquisite floral patterns decorating her pink kimono, which graduated into a soft turquoise-green at the ends of the dress and sleeves.

"I-It's a p-pleasure to meet you a-all!" The blond stuttered quickly and threw her head down in a sincere bow. The students greeted her, and the blond moved quickly to sit beside the blue-haired boy.

Amitiel just stood silently in the front of the class. After some unwanted silence, the teacher added, "Tanaka-san? Tell us a little about yourself." Amitiel took a moment to think about her new identity, and decided to replay everything that was on her record.

"Hana Tanaka, 15, born July 18 in Chiba, Japan, 52 kilograms, 170 centimeters, blond hair, brown eyes, blood type is B and is currently attending True Cross Academy and the Exorcist Cram school." Silence filled the room, Amitiel looked patiently with a straight face around the class, some students made some faces at how literal she was about introducing herself.

The teacher was able to break the silence as he added, confused, "very... elaborated, thank you."

Amitiel didn't say anything.

"Well, I might as well introduce myself. My name is Yukio Okumura and I will be your anti-demon pharmaceuticals instructor," the exorcist named Yukio smiled warmly at the angel.

"I do not wish to greet you at this hour, now I must make my leave," Amitiel announced as she was about to turn around towards the door.

"Pardon me?" Yukio asked with a raise of his eyebrow. But instead of expecting a reply, Amitiel continued to walk towards the door when Yukio called her, " Tanaka-san, wait!"

"I must make my leave, now," Amitiel said with her back faced towards the exorcist and the students.

"Class hasn't ended yet, nevertheless, it just started—so please sit down," Yukio said, and the angel turned towards the exorcist with a monotone glance.

"No, I will not. I have to do something incredibly important. I am looking for something..." Amitiel trailed off as she looked at the students one last time before continuing, "—and it's not here."

"Tanaka-san, I will ask you to please sit down. Unless you'd like to be sent to the director's office, that is," the young exorcist warned.

"I do not take orders from humans like you." Amitiel stared down at the exorcist as the students just watched silently at the conversation in front of them.

"I'm afraid that won't happen," Yukio responded as he began to stand up. Yukio furrowed his eyebrows when the angel suddenly charged towards him and grabbed him by the collar, which created some shocked expressions from the students.

Amitiel lowered her gaze while looking at the exorcist's frustrated eyes while pulling out her blade out of its sheath. All the students' hearts dropped in fear. "Dismiss me, human, or else—"

"_OI!_ Back away from Yukio, you stupid bitch!"

Amitiel stopped and spun her head around to find the blue-eyed boy bolting up and charging his way towards her.

"Excuse me? Are you a part of this conversation? No," Amitiel spoke, no sign of anger was present in her voice, but the boy saw in her eyes she had a menacing aura.

"I am when you're messing with my brother, that's what," he grit his teeth together as he stood face to face with the angel, their heights were almost the same—yet he was still taller than her. He glared at her with a fiery gaze, yet it seems this girl wasn't at all afraid of him.

"This doesn't involve an ignorant eavesdropper like you," Amitiel back-talked at the blue-haired boy. The young teenager only grit his teeth harder as his hands curled up into fists, he clenched them so hard his knuckles turned white.

"Why you—!" The boy yelled angrily and raised his fist, but he was cut off when he felt the blond's grip on his shirt and a sharp pain shot against his throat. He noticed the girl's blade was positioned right at his throat, not enough to slice through his skin, but enough to cause discomfort and shock.

"Hey, what the hell?!" The boy yelped as his brother tried to separate the two.

"Nii-san!" The exorcist cried and the boy broke free from the girl's surprisingly strong grip and rammed her against the blackboard, his fist was held suspended above him, awaiting to strike the girl, who showed no sign of shock. His veins were on fire now, and he was about to lay his fist across the angel's face until a warm, familiar hand covered his fist. He looked aside to find the exorcist named Yukio holding his fist between him and the girl.

"Yuki-chan!" The young blonde behind them cried out.

"Nii-san, stop it, right now!" Yukio ordered his brother, with a tremendously worried look on his face, mixed in with frustration.

"She deserves it," the angered teen growled. He didn't quite understand what his brother was doing that was keeping him from doing it. The fact that she disrespected his own brother, or if anyone disrespected his own family, was the worst, unforgivable thing a human being could ever do to him. The teenager looked at the angel with blazing blue eyes through his dark bangs. His anger was scorching through him like a forest fire, raging into every part of his body, nearly impossible to put out. He wanted to defend Yukio from getting teased. All throughout his childhood, his brother was picked on, and the teen didn't want his brother to go through that hell again.

"It's not worth getting yourself in trouble. _Control yourself_," Yukio lowered his voice, emphasizing the importance of the last sentence, however, his brother remained quiet as he stared at the girl with a heavy breath.

Amitiel looked straight into the boy's vivid eyes, and realized something important_. Use your weapons only when necessary, do not draw them in public or use them to harm any humans_, Raziel had said a while ago. Amitiel slowly lowered her blade, and the teenager released her with a push, lowering his fist.

"Bitch," the boy added.

Amitiel remained silent, and just noticed that the exorcist reached over and took her blade out from her hand and the other from its sheath. She didn't protest.

"I need you to step outside," Yukio commanded, and Amitiel remained silent, she saw that the boy shot her a fiery gaze. Yukio gestured the angel to the door and followed her, until he turned a shoulder and added,"... by the way, Nii-san... we _will _discuss this later."

The boy stood still as the blond girl ran to his side. She turned around to face him and asked, "a-are you okay?"

"I'm fine," the boy spat, he walked away with an angered expression on his face and sat back in his seat.

The exorcist closed the door behind him, secluding himself and Amitiel from the classroom and into the silent, never-ending hallway.

"Do you even regret what you've just committed?" The exorcist asked in indignation as he laid his hands on his hips. Amitiel noticed he carried two guns on his belt. Amitiel looked at him with a calm, silent look while leaning her body against the wall in the hallway. Yukio didn't quite make out what she was feeling, but from the bland look on her face, it looked as if she didn't care.

Yukio was vexed. "I cannot even begin to compensate your actions, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to send you to the director's office," Yukio sighed and fixed his glasses. So far, he wasn't ending his day too well. Yukio forgot about the intricate blades in his hand and added, "... until you behave more safely around the others, I will be keeping your... daggers."

"Am I your prisoner, now?" Amitiel asked calmly.

"... You're giving me a strong first impression, and I'm not impressed by it," Yukio frowned as he folded his arms. "I will notify the director that you'll be at his office," Yukio concluded, and with that said, Amitiel was sent off to her destination. She walked away slowly as the teacher returned into the classroom, however, instead of expecting the angel to feel guilty about her actions, she wasn't—not in the slightest. Instead of heading to the office, Amitiel decided to take the free time searching throughout the rest of the academy.

"I apologize for her behaviour, I assure you it won't happen again," Yukio sighed again and formed a forced, tired smile. The students looked around at each other in uneasiness.

"She's not... dangerous, is she?" The pink-haired teen asked tentatively, and the blue-haired boy frowned.

* * *

It was quiet, for a busy, populated academy, the halls were empty and quiet. Amitiel walked through one of the many empty halls after she used one of the keys she was given to exit the cram school. Amitiel looked down at the key, apparently the cram school was a secret board in the academy, owned by the Knights of the True Cross, or better yet—the Vatican. This key was the only entrance to this secret place when she placed it into any school door. All exorcists and trainees have access to the secret halls of the cram school. She wasn't as surprised as one would expect, since magic like this enchanted key was more common within her and the demons' dimension.

Amitiel reached over to the sheath on her leg but remembered that she was no longer armed, and with that, Amitiel sighed. She assumed she must find the son of Satan without the aid of a weapon—which proved impossible as Amitiel felt lost in the building. She didn't know where to start.

"Where...? Why is this so hard ... The demon said he was here but... _where_?" Amitiel whispered to herself, she was thinking of summoning Raziel, but she reconsidered since he also had another job to do. The angel locked her arms together as she walked silently in the halls, illuminated by a bright light from the sun passing through the large windows. The warm feeling of the sun soothed her. Amitiel closed her eyes as she stood in front of a window, embracing the warm sunshine hitting her face. Her moment was soon distracted when she heard a yelp—more like a small bark. Amitiel looked around herself, until she realized the noise came from the ground. She looked down to find a small, white Scottish terrier staring up at her with its round puppy eyes.

The girl gave the dog a bored stare and passed over the dog and continued walking, avoiding the demon in disguise.

"My, that was rude, no good afternoon for your director?"

Amitiel knew that voice came from the dog itself, but she wasn't impressed. She stopped and looked over her shoulder as she spat bluntly, "you're a demon."

Soon after that, a puff of dazzling pink smoke filled the area around the angel. Amitiel tried to blow away the strange smoke until it dissipated. There stood none other but the King of Time, Samael.

"Tanaka-san! How rude of you to call your headmaster that!" Mephisto grinned as he covered his mouth with his fingers, showing no offence in what she said—since it was true.

"You are one. I see it," Amitiel added over her shoulder.

"Well, you have very sharp eyes, indeed. How was your first day, hmm?" Samael asked.

Amitiel paused a moment and replied,"... it was brutal."

"Brutal? How's that?" Mephisto said while maintaining his devilish smile. "I received notification from Okumura-sensei about your... unruly behaviour, I expected it to be about Okumura-kun, like usual."

"Okumura-kun? You mean his brother?" Amitiel's eyes narrowed, as she turned around to face the demon.

"Yes, you've met in that classroom, correct?" Mephisto tilted his head back as he looked down at her in superiority.

"Yes, so that's the name of that blue-eyed boy..." Amitiel recalled to herself.

"Blue-eyed boy? So what do you think of him, then?"

Amitiel paused to take a breath. "... He's a nuisance," Amitiel said simply with a stoic expression on her face.

Samael waved his hand away, as if gesturing Amitiel to ignore, "oh, I wouldn't bother with him... he's... quite different than the rest."

"Different? How so?" Amitiel raised an eyebrow, the demon's reply piqued her interest.

"He's... _special_, let's say," Samael responded again with an enigmatic answer. Amitiel concluded to never expect a straight answer from Samael.

_Special? What?_ Amitiel thought. Is this demon implying about that boy's possible family relation with an exorcist? What about him makes him so special? Because of that, Amitiel felt drawn into interest for the young boy.

Amitiel looked back at the hall ahead of her and moved, leaving the director without an appropriate farewell.

"Farewell to you too, Tanaka-san," Mephisto called out.

"I don't say farewell to monsters," Amitiel quickly responded. _Unless I want to exorcise them_, she thought. She could defeat Samael on the spot, since she technically was more powerful than him. But instead, she decided it would be best to focus on the mission. However, Amitiel knew she must prepare for life at the academy first, and decided to go to her dorm, where she promised Raziel.

"My, what a strange girl she is," Mephisto spoke to himself as he turned around and walked away in the opposite direction.


	5. Chapter 4: Unforgiving

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

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_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 4: Unforgiving**_

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**". . . Why would Samael assign me the male dorm?" Amitiel asked herself as she stared up at the still building.** After searching around the academy all day, Amitiel decided to head back to where she would stay, however she didn't expect this. Besides the fact it was the male dorm, it looked old, it reminded her of the classroom, actually. She noticed some of the glass on the windows were cracked, some cracks could also be found jagged up from the ground on the walls. Paint peeled from some areas on the walls, and the surface of the building was mostly chipped concrete. The building looked as if it was at the point of collapsing. It also sounded quiet and abandoned. The soft susurrations of the wind added an eerie atmosphere to the lone, isolated building. The thought that the academy was prestigious started to linger away from the blonde's mind.

However, Amitiel wasn't bothered by that at all.

Besides she will be staying in an old, outdated building, Amitiel questioned the reason why this was her assigned dorm. She looked down on her two blond waves resting against her flat chest, for a human, her vessel had quite a small bust compared to other girls. She was flatter than normal. She wondered if Samael even, by any slight chance, thought she was a boy. She heard him address her as "san" back there, so what is the meaning of this?

Amitiel's head filled with unanswered questions as she climbed up the short set of stairs (none of them collapsed). She walked towards the door and opened it, it screeched as she continued to pull on it.

Amitiel walked in, her black shoes tapped lightly against the old, scratched up wooden floor. She just stood there. The air was so silent, she could see a white, ghostly layer of dust in the air near where the sunlight beamed down, by the windows down the two halls beside each of her sides. She closed the door and it clicked closed after the loud screech. She paused for a moment, realizing that the building _was_ abandoned. She walked down the silent, colourless hallway as she gazed down on her sheet marked with her dorm number: _632_. She turned towards a long hallway and climbed up the set of stairs at the end. She walked down the hallway of the sixth floor as she scanned the numbers engraved on the doors. When she reached her designated room, she unlocked the door with a key and entered.

Amitiel noticed her suitcase rested on her bed positioned at the left corner of the room. A wooden desk laid against a wall beside her bed, accompanied by a simple chair. Amitiel approached it and could tell some dust sat on the wooden surface. A long, narrow window was in-between the bed and desk. The glass was so dusty the view from the outside was opaque. Amitiel used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe away some of the dust and looked through the window, and there in the distance stood the dark silhouette of True Cross Academy in front of an orange-red sunset. She withdrew her attention from the window and looked over at the closet at the corner across from the wall of her bed, beside it was a long vanity mirror, covered by a paper-thin layer of dust. She observed her reflection, standing still as she studied her figure from head to toe. She smoothed her skirt down as she breathed out after taking a long inhale of the dusty air. Amitiel turned around and Raziel stood before her, leaning against her desk with his arms crossed.

"Raziel, don't do that," Amitiel suppressed her defensive instincts as she lowered her hand, which was curled up, as if she was holding her blade that was no longer in her sheath. Amitiel looked at her empty hand and looked at Raziel with the same, unafraid look on her face.

Raziel purposely ignored her as he studied the room. "I see you have just arrived," Raziel said, but frowned in suspicion. "What did you do, Amitiel?" He asked, noting her empty sheaths. Amitiel didn't hesitate to say the truth.

"I used my blades and almost harmed a human being, so I got them taken away," Amitiel said without regret.

Raziel felt a pain in his temples, and rubbed them with his thumbs. He released an exasperated sigh and said, "have you already forgotten what I told you? If you lay a dangerous move on a human, they will know, and you will suffer the consequences." Raziel ran his fingers through his greying hair as he added, "and those consequences are not amusing."

"Yes, I understand. I repent for my mistakes. I almost disobeyed Heaven, and you, so please forgive me," Amitiel asked Raziel, however, she wasn't exactly begging for it. Amitiel brought her hands together, bowed her head down, and added, "forgive me, for I have committed sin upon the Holy Hosts and the Creator."

Raziel looked down at her in superiority. No matter what, he will never expect a lie coming from Amitiel. She was one of the few angels who would always repent for her mistakes without question. His frown softened and Raziel spoke more softly now, "I forgive you."

Amitiel nodded and accepted his forgiveness, and bowed her head down. Amitiel paused to think of a correct way to ask him something. "Raziel... I need your knowledge on something."

"I know what you have been going through, what you must know is that it is normal," Raziel spoke as he brought his hands together on his laps and intertwined his fingers in a clasp.

"Then tell me, what should I do so I'm no longer hostile towards the cram school students?" She asked as she looked out the opaque window.

"You must abide by the rules, Amitiel. You must do this without drawing any unwanted attention. What you did to the students—that is a prime example of breaking their rules," Raziel answered, and Amitiel only looked back at him, "I only follow yours and Heaven's order, not the academy's."

"Then it is on behalf of my order that you follow the humans' orders," Raziel replied then recapped what he had just said. What he said slightly confused himself. Amitiel seemed to have understood, but she awaited more answers, because her eyes were expectant.

Raziel sighed again as he leaned on her desk. "You need to go apologize," Raziel finally said. "Apology cleanses you from guilt—remorse—hatred. Earning their forgiveness will eliminate their feelings about you," Raziel continued with his eyes closed.

"I don't understand. I don't feel guilty, should I?" Amitiel said. Clearly she didn't understand what guilt was, she never came into a situation where she felt guilty.

"You need to try to cooperate with a human's feelings, Amitiel. They have much more complex social interactions than us. You must try to understand what they are telling you and how to properly react to the situation. If you do not act properly, you can make the situation worse. Sometimes words cannot help to forgive, but your acts can," Raziel responded, and added, "how about you draw your weapon only when there is a real demon threatening your safety, and respect people as if you are respecting me."

"I'll understand that," Amitiel nodded to herself, keeping Raziel's words in mind. However, something else came up. "Then I mean no disrespect, but—" Amitiel stood still like usual and asked, "why would Samael assign me this... dorm?"

"You obviously need a place to rest, Amitiel," Raziel said with a straight face.

"Why did he assign me this dorm?" Amitiel asked again, yet she started to never expect a straight answer from Raziel too.

"You mean myself," Raziel corrected, "I chose to place you in an isolated environment, far away from contact with the humans. This will allow you to stay focused on your task," Raziel answered fully.

"Okay, but _why_ the male dorm?" Amitiel asked, desperate for a convenient answer.

"The "old" male dorm. This one is the only building that is abandoned, it is only you, so this place is yours," Raziel responded calmly.

Amitiel had no complaints regarding Raziel's choice, if this was for the greater good, Amitiel wouldn't object—and she never has—ever. "I… see. Thank you," she replied.

Raziel nodded slowly as he reached inside his exorcist uniform and pulled out a device from his pocket. He handed it to Amitiel and she took it. Amitiel played with the device in her hands, wondering what he had given her. It was slightly rounded on the corners, and it was black with a glossy texture. It was the most peculiar thing she had ever seen, she wasn't familiar on how it functions, and hopefully Raziel knew how to use this mysterious device. She continued to play around with the device in her hands until she decided to ask, "what's this?"

Raziel's mouth almost dropped to the floor but he responded, "that is a cell-phone, Amitiel."

She looked up at him with clueless brown eyes, she raised the phone up and said, "are these those things they use against their ears?" Amitiel asked curiously, then looked at it suspiciously, "... or is it a weapon?"

Raziel sighed, "both really, those are products humans use as a means of communication. I am giving you one so you can keep in touch with me. If you have any trouble, do not hesitate to call me and I will be here immediately. Unless the situation is urgent, summon me."

Amitiel had more questions to ask, but she didn't want to question his decisions. What really matters to her is that she must learn how to use this weird thing, and she could tell it was going to be as hard as learning a new language (in her case it was Japanese).

Amitiel held the phone in her hands as she bowed her head down, "thank you."

Raziel nodded in satisfaction. Amitiel turned around and looked down at the phone, observing the small screen and ran her fingers across its glossy texture. She turned her head towards Raziel when another question popped in her head.

"Raziel—"

But Raziel wasn't there, all she saw was a booklet sitting on her desk in his place. She walked over towards her desk and read the title on the booklet:_ instructions manual_.

"… Thank you again," Amitiel responded at the still air.

* * *

Yukio heard the sound of what he assumed was a book slamming on the wooden desk beside his. Yukio looked aside to find his brother removing his bag over his shoulder, as well as a sword wrapped in a red cover slinging on his shoulder. The blue-haired boy set his sword against the desk as he plopped himself onto his bed, the sheets were messy and unorganized. Yukio removed his glasses to clean them with his shirt, he sighed as he looked at his brother, who was occupied with a manga in his hands.

"Hey, dude, you've been through a lot today, heh?" The teen remarked as he flipped a page. "I mean—you're okay, right?"

"I'm fine," Yukio responded, his voice tinged with frustration.

"Come on, from what she did to you—" The boy continued.

"Leave her out of this. I am not fine with what you've done either, after what has been going on lately, and I mean _before_ you've enrolled here."

"What?" The boy asked, purposely acting confused.

"Nii-san, can you please take into consideration your current position?" Yukio stood up with arms crossed over his chest.

"So this is about her!" The boy snapped as he closed his manga and pointed a finger at his brother, who was confused on how his brother related his question with the new girl.

Yukio frowned intensely at his brother, his teal eyes darkened as he spoke, "I am sincerely asking you to control yourself, remember that you are in a dangerous position here. If you spark any sort of suspicion, the Order will know. Do you even know who she is?"

"A bitch, that's who she is," the teen snapped back and fixed his manga vigorously.

"Her name is Hana Tanaka, and keep in mind that her father is an exorcist," Yukio said, hoping to knock some sense into his brother's head.

However, Yukio's intentions backfired. "So you're saying I should stay away from her. I completely agree with that," Rin frowned.

"No, I am asking you to behave yourself, if her father found about... the truth. He _will_ kill you," Yukio responded bluntly at his own brother.

The boy sighed, "I get that, the world pretty much wants me dead already..." Yukio paused for a moment, he heard the disappointment in his brother's voice. Suddenly the somber look on his brother's face was replaced with an excited smile, "I _knew_ that was coming, that bastard!" Yukio ignored him as he referred to the manga in his hands.

Yukio, completely annoyed by his brother's lack of attention, marched over to his brother's bed across the room and snatched away the manga from his hands.

"Hey! What the hell, Yukio! Give that back, dammit!" The boy shouted as he tried to reach for the manga in Yukio's hand, but Yukio withdrew his hand as he spoke back. "Can you listen to me for once?! Hiroshi Tanaka is one of the most loyal subjects of the Knights, if he finds out your secret through his daughter... you'll be in an impossible fix, Nii-san, and I won't be able to help you!" Yukio paused and his brother's eyes widened, but only slightly. "All I ask is that you stay out of trouble, and that means controlling yourself," Yukio finished as he tossed the manga and his brother caught it with a pout. "_I mean it_," Yukio said with furrowed eyebrows.

"... Fine, Four-Eyes."

After their loud conversation, the room had plunged into silence again. The brothers didn't make eye contact with each other for several minutes. The blue-haired boy flipped through his manga and whistled, which provoked Yukio.

"Can you please stop?" Yukio interrupted the boy's whistling as he smacked his hands down on his desk. His brother formed a small "O" on his mouth, blinked several times, and his whistling died down.

"Jeez, Four-Eyes," the boy remarked.

Yukio sighed in relief when silence was in the room again. The exorcist tapped his pencil lightly on his paper as he searched deep into his thoughts as to which lesson he must do for the next day. Honestly, for a young man like himself, being a teacher wasn't what he expected himself to be. Yukio clearly remembered he had other future plans instead of becoming an exorcist, but that was before his life changed completely 8 years ago. His life had changed even more recently regarding his brother. The exorcist felt a beating pulse in his head as he rubbed his forehead. Suddenly, Yukio noticed a slight sound, a tapping type of sound, whatever it was—it bothered him to no end, and he knew the first person to blame.

"Can you please stop tapping your foot? I'm trying to concentrate on tomorrow's lesson," Yukio dropped his pencil on the paper as he gave his brother a tired, irritated glare.

Yukio's brother dropped the manga on himself and held his hands up in surrender, "I'm not doing anything!"

"Then what's that tapping sound?" Yukio questioned his brother. Suddenly, both boys looked at each other as they trailed their attention to the door. Yukio gave his brother a confused glance as he approached the door.

"Who's here? I thought you and I were only supposed to be here," his brother frowned in suspicion. "Oh no, don't tell me that clown lied about this place not being haunted," his brother added with a gasp.

Yukio twisted the knob and opened the door, he peaked out of the room to look both ends of the hall. Unfortunately, it was starting to get dark outside, and the darkness began to invade the hallways. Yukio felt an uneasiness in his stomach as he shouted, "who's ther—"

Yukio made eye contact with none other but his new student, Hana Tanaka.

"Oh, Tanaka-san," Yukio said, confused. "What... are you doing here?"

"This is my dorm, what are _you_ doing here?" Amitiel replied sharply. Amitiel observed another head peek out from the doorway, and the familiar blue hair indicated it was her teacher's brother.

"What's _she_ doing here?" Rin scoffed in irritation at her presence.

"You tell me. This dorm is reserved for me," she replied, and with that, Amitiel began to question why two boys were living in the same abandoned building. She began to wonder if Raziel knew about this.

"Well, there must be some mistake, the female dormitory is west of here. This is the male dormitory," Yukio formed a weak smile.

"Why are you being so nice with her?" Rin whispered beside him.

"Nii-san," Yukio shushed, and glared at his brother. "Sir Pheles assigned us this dorm, has he in your case?" Yukio looked at Amitiel.

"No, my, um, relative assigned me this dorm," Amitiel finished with a swallow. She could never call Raziel by his real name in this case, let alone call him a father.

"I'll try to understand that," Yukio tried to think of reason why that was the case. "Have you just arrived?" Yukio added.

Amitiel responded, "yes, I'm going back to start unpacking my things now." With that said, Amitiel began walking back to her dorm without saying a simple goodbye.

"Hold on, allow Nii-san to help you," Yukio suggested with a smile. The blue-haired boy's head shot up suddenly as he cried, "excuse me?! You just told me to stay—"

Amitiel shook her head in protest, "I don't need his help. I don't depend on humans for help."

"No, allow him to help. Perhaps that will help you two _get along_," Yukio continued to urge his brother to help. He must eliminate the hostility between the two, before other problems surface to the point it catches her father's attention. For some reason, Yukio had a gut feeling his new student isn't trying to cause trouble on purpose.

The blue-eyed teen bolted up as he glared at the girl and his brother, and reluctantly pushed himself towards the girl he despised. However, in Amitiel's case, she wondered why Yukio was acting so calm and composed, why didn't he react impulsively like his brother?

The teen stood a distance from the angel as they walked silently back to Amitiel's dorm. Amitiel felt the boy's intense glare on her as she looked ahead. Once they entered her room, the teen coughed at how dusty the air was.

"Do you keep anything clean here, or what?" The boy commented with a cough.

Amitiel kept a straight face, "I told you, I just arrived here."

The boy shrugged his shoulders as the two stood silently in the room. Of course, both enemies didn't quite know what to talk about, and the teenage boy wasn't quite along with the idea of helping the new girl out. He frowned slightly when he noticed Amitiel had her eyes on him. She observed from top to bottom, observing every part of his body, as if she was studying him. She didn't show a sign of curiosity on her face, in fact, he couldn't quite make out her facial expression—it just looked empty and dead.

Suddenly, Amitiel broke the awkward silence as she asked, "do you humans always act this hostile towards each other?"

The boy blinked multiple times, his face twisted into a creeped-out look. Something about what she said created a sinking feeling in his chest. The teen hesitated for a moment before responding with a frown, "quit... calling ourselves humans, it's friggin' weird." The boy pursed his lips as he hesitated again. He really didn't want to say it, but if his brother wanted him to resolve their conflict—he must try. Rin shoved his hands in the pockets of his sweater and continued, "just... call me Rin. Rin Okumura."

Amitiel straightened herself out as she replied, "Hana Tanaka."

"I know that," the boy named Rin almost cut her off. "What do you need help for? Perhaps help on changing your attitude?" Rin suggested, yet Amitiel wasn't offended like he anticipated.

"I apologize," was all Amitiel said. Rin furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at the girl. He crossed his arms in an act of opposition.

"Apology not accepted," Rin replied sharply.

"Then will you forgive me?" Amitiel said with a blank look in her eyes, and that indicated Rin she wasn't meaning it fully. She didn't understand why he didn't accept her apology, normally Amitiel just had to say it to Raziel and she would be forgiven.

"Do you seriously expect me to forgive you? What you did to Yukio was _unforgivable_. I won't... I will _never _let some jackass like you treat him like that, ever again. Got it?" Rin flashed his angry eyes at Amitiel.

"Yes, but what will allow me to earn your forgiveness? I'm not trying to hurt you in any way. You must understand, what I did back there, I did it instinctively. When you know demons could possess anyone, you become much more cautious around others," Amitiel replied, completely ignoring Rin's offensive response. Rin felt as if she was excusing herself.

However, Rin couldn't help but agree with that. He had come across a situation where a demon in disguise of someone he never expected almost attacked him, and what did he do? He acted on instinct and punched the demon. He somewhat understood where she was coming from, a month ago, he didn't know demons even existed.

However, Yukio wasn't a demon. Rin wasn't a demon either.

"How about you just stay away from Yukio and I," Rin snarled.

Rin's snarl relaxed as he saw her give him a small nod and looked at him with soft, brown eyes.

"Alright then," she said.

Rin added, "good." Amitiel and Rin broke the conversation as Amitiel opened her suitcase on her bed. At first, Rin thought the girl was a typical spoiled rich kid, however, judging by her clothes and her things—she didn't seem rich at all. Her clothes seemed to be out of style, and she didn't own designer brands or expensive accessories. It shows she got into the academy merely because of her father's job, not out of fortune.

"So... Looks like you never needed my help then, huh?" Rin said as he stood still with his hands in his pockets, observing as the angel placed things in her drawers.

Amitiel stopped and didn't look at him, "you told me I should stay away from you."

Rin's mouth opened to say something, but closed back. He didn't expect her to actually obey what he said, and the fact that she did confused him, it almost drove him into suspicion for her again. Rin didn't object as he walked towards the door and exited her room, without saying anything else.

* * *

**A/N: this is my shortest chapter...so far. I'm trying to keep my chapters at least 4000 words or higher because short chapters...suck y'know? Plus I like detail, and dialogue...and it takes up a lot of words, which I like.**

**Thank you if you've read this far in this lame story even though it was only 5 chapters in total haha. It would be a bonus if you ... wait for it...review!**


	6. Chapter 5: The Stupidity of Okumura Rin

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 5: The Stupidity of Okumura Rin**_

* * *

**"...mura... Okumura," a voice sounded in his head.** Rin didn't quite catch the number of times this voice had been saying his name until he realized he was sleeping—in class.

"Sukiyaki!?" Rin shouted after his head bolted upright with wide, sapphire eyes. He looked around himself, beside him sat the young blonde named Shiemi Moriyama, who gave him a confused glance with her clear green eyes. On the other side of the teen stood the teacher, his thin eyes locked their gaze on the teen in deep contempt.

"Get ahold of yourself, Okumura. That was the second time you fell asleep in class!" The exorcist frowned in disappointment at the blue-haired teen. Rin scratched the back of his head as he replied, "sorry."

Rin frowned as he picked up his book, all it basically talked about was world religions. Since this class was basically focusing on religion, that means it involved lots of reading, so Rin was commonly seen dozing off from boredom. Reading was a nightmare to him, and he didn't quite understand most of the context, mainly because he gave up trying after looking at the first page of the book. Unless it was manga or a book containing _only _pictures—Rin didn't bother to touch it. The boy tried hard to resist himself from dropping his head on the desk and sleep again, until a new voice reached his ears. What it said woke him up.

"How the hell does he even bother coming to class if he just slacks off?"

Rin narrowed his eyes. At first he expected that blond new girl to say such a thing, however, it didn't sound like a feminine voice. Rin looked over his shoulder to find the tall teen, who was recognized by the bright yellow streak running through his dark-brown, messy hair, glaring at him as he added, "he pisses me off, that guy."

Instead of taking into consideration the teen's crude comment, Rin could only think about how much effort he had put into dyeing his hair—which Rin considered cool. The piercings around the teen's earlobes created sparkles in Rin's deep blue eyes. Compared to other boys he met in class, Rin saw how older he looked. He seemed to look like a senior student, mainly because he had a small goatee, as well as a few facial hairs around his jawline. Unlike Rin's slimmer form, this dude was lean and muscular. The slim boy could tell there was muscle under the guy's clothes. Rin just worshipped him as the epitome of badass.

Rin urged himself to face the board as he thought,_ ha, usually I would glare back and get into a fight... but not anymore! 'Cause I'll be an exorcist!_ Rin smiled coolly as he envisioned himself in the black exorcist cassock, with sword in hand. To him, that was a miracle what he just did. Every time someone bothered Rin, he wouldn't hesitate to lay his fist against someone, which basically happened yesterday with the new girl. Most of the students, including Amitiel, all stared at him as he chuckled randomly at his daydream, this time he ignored the teacher's yelling.

"Okumura! Pay attention!" The teacher shouted in frustration.

The teacher sighed with a hand against his forehand as he continued, "moving on. Someone tell me who was the first exorcist in history? Who created exorcism?"

The teacher saw the epitome of badass raise his hand up, but the teacher's gaze trailed towards the boy with dark blue hair.

"Okumura, who was the first exorcist?" The teacher repeated. His choice frustrated the badass.

Rin's daydream was interrupted. He shuffled on his seat as he crossed his arms and mumbled under his breath, "... it's gonna be me."

"Jesus Christ, Okumura!" The teacher snapped loudly.

Rin blinked in shock, "whoa! Ya don't need to get mad, okay?"

The teacher dropped the shout and repeated more calmly, "no, Okumura, it's Jesus Christ."

"...Oh," was all Rin said as he blinked, mistaking the teacher's answer as a means of cursing.

Because of the blue-haired teen's stupidity, the boy with the yellow streak glared furiously at Rin's ridiculous behaviour.

* * *

Throughout the rest of the classes, Amitiel and the others just observed Rin making a fool of himself on a daily basis. He fell asleep again during demonology, in which a different teacher asked him for the name of the lowest level demon, which was obviously _Coal Tar. _Instead, Rin just hesitated until the teacher shouted at him the answer and pointed at a small one that was floating adjacent to the boy.

"Rin Okumura... how can he not even know _that_?" Amitiel questioned herself. To her, it was obviously the easiest question she's ever heard. After a long class, the bell rang, signaling the start of the next class, and it was Grimoire Literature—which was going to be Rin's living hell.

Everyone became silent as a remarkably tall exorcist walked in. Like some exorcists, this one wore his cassock unbuttoned, and a silver rosary was connected around the man's belt. Amitiel recognized the familiar blade in its sheath on the side of the exorcist's belt. It was Raziel.

Raziel placed a suitcase on the desk and he looked up with a straight, almost intimidating glance, "alright, students, class begins."

Rin watched as everyone around him sat silently, except for the cool guy with piercings. He stood up from his chair and asked, "Um, sir, I don't mean to be rude, but we haven't received notice of a substitute."

Raziel pulled out some papers from his suitcase and set them on the table, "that is because your teacher was the substitute." Raziel replied and didn't look back at the boy.

"Huh? She's the substitute? That doesn't even make sense, what kind of teacher would go on hiatus for the first days of school?!" Rin babbled his way into the conversation. He mainly argued because their "substitute" was the only teacher who actually allowed Rin to sleep in class. After many attempts, she mainly just gave up.

"That, Okumura Rin, would be confidential," Raziel replied sharply. From the looks and attitude from this kid, Raziel wasn't becoming quite fond of him.

Rin kept quiet and crossed his firm arms as the exorcist introduced himself formally, and when he spoke his name, Rin almost fell off his chair.

"My name is Tanaka Hiroshi, and I will be your Grimoire Literature instructor, your previous instructor had to substitute for me for confidential reasons. You must know that I have been a loyal partner with the Knights for over 30 years," Raziel said as he watched the students with his tired eyes, some whispered about his relation to Amitiel. "Yes, I am Hana's father, but let us not focus on that fact, but focus on the aspects of exorcism," Raziel straightened himself up as he clasped his hands behind his back, as he patrolled around the classroom.

Rin tried to remain calm as the exorcist spoke. "I am teaching you to prepare you for your future exorcist career. You are all here today at this very minute because you are the few taking on the most dangerous path most humans are too cowardly to take. You are one of the few that will possess the evil truth behind the reality of life. As you progress through your preparation, I will be teaching you the skills and strategies and all the knowledge you must need to face this dark path of an exorcist. My lessons also give you lifesaving strategies that will not only save yourselves, but other people's lives as well, because believe me―it is going to become a living hell. The demons you face now are just minorities compared to what you will be facing later on. When you enter the big leagues―when you become a junior second class―you will be tested whether or not you have acquired my lessons and used them. If you choose not to, then step over into the Director's office and drop out of my class," Raziel paused to let the students disagree and leave the class, yet no one did.

"Alright then, you've made your decisions I presume," Raziel continued. "Now where did your substitute leave off...?" Raziel searched through a binder full of papers. The exorcist frowned at how unorganized the previous teacher was. The students watched as Raziel closed the binder and placed it in his suitcase, and threw most of the loose papers in the trash beside his desk. Some students exchanged confused glances with each other, Rin on his part, thought the teacher wasn't going to teach them anything today―except he was wrong.

Raziel decided to ask someone in the class, "Kamiki-san, where did you leave off?"

The girl with purple hair tied in long pigtails stood up and answered, "we're currently studying the medieval catholic formula "V_adre retro Satana_" or "Step Back, Satan", sir."

"Ah, has the teacher proposed that you memorize the Latin text?" Raziel raised an eyebrow.

"No, sir, just the translation," the girl responded.

"Well then, here's your new homework: memorize "_Vadre retro Satana_", in Latin please," Raziel simply said, and some of the students began to argue. Some noticed how fluent Raziel was when he spoke the Latin title.

"What? Come on, does _anyone_ in this world even understand it?" Rin protested.

"If I can speak it fluently, so can you. Grimoires are to be used by their original text. They are proven to be much more efficient, as some other versions may incorrectly and inaccurately translate the text, rendering the copy useless. By knowing the original this will boost your ability to exorcise demons more forcefully. I accept no objections," Raziel said sternly, and Rin chose to fall asleep on his own free will.

"I can live with that," the boy with the striped hair said with a smirk. Amitiel agreed with him there, since it was her first language, after all. She found it easier to understand it in Latin, and more difficult in Japanese.

Rin couldn't hold it back any longer and he dozed off into sleep. Amitiel remained silent as Raziel frowned intensely at the sleeping boy. Raziel grabbed the book off the teen's hands and smacked it right in front of the boy, which caused him to jump out of his chair.

"Do you plan on sleeping in a real battle?" Raziel's sharp green hawk eyes glared at the boy. "Please do that if you plan to kill yourself for the most dishonourable reason," Raziel added, and with that, Rin rolled his eyes as he picked up the book and tried to memorize the impossible.

* * *

Rin's heart jumped as soon as Yukio announced, "all right, time to return your quizzes." Of course, Rin didn't panic because he might've failed, but because he can clearly expect Yukio's reaction, and he enjoyed it. Anti-Demon Pharmaceuticals wasn't really Rin's strong point, after all.

"Oh, I know I did well!" Shiemi spoke with fists raised against her chest, Rin could tell she was confident.

"Oh, yeah, your mom owns the exorcist shop, right?" Rin asked.

"Yeah, my mother always taught me a bunch of different pharmaceutical plants and their uses, plus I always named some I found in the garden out back. So this subject is my forte," Shiemi smiled brilliantly, and Rin couldn't help but return the smile.

"Shima-kun," Yukio called and the pink-haired teen stood and walked over to the exorcist and picked up his quiz.

"Kamiki-san?" Yukio called and the girl with long pigtails stood up from her seat behind Amitiel and walked over.

"Moriyama-san?" Yukio called and Shiemi bolted up and replied, "yes?" However, instead of praise, Yukio smiled sympathetically and added, "making up names for plants is all right, otherwise they would be easy to memorize for you. Unfortunately, you must learn the proper names on a test, Shiemi-san. Things like Sancho-san and Benzy-san are invalid answers, please refer to them as aloe and Penicillin."

The blonde stood agape in despair when she saw her low mark number in bold red marker. Instead of apologizing, or at least cheer his friend up, Rin just covered his mouth as he shouted, "ha ha! I thought you were good at this stuff!"

"_Okumura,_" this time Yukio said it out flatly. He passed his brother's quiz with a sign of irritation at his preposterous mark. "I think I have an ulcer..." Yukio's eyebrow twitched as he shut his eyes and tried to refrain his anger. His brother, on the other hand, just shrugged his shoulders and replied, "sorry."

Rin walked back to his seat as Hana's name was called. Amitiel lifted off the seat and walked over to the exorcist to collect her quiz. Rin watched vigilantly as she took the quiz and returned to her seat while observing her quiz. Rin couldn't quite tell on her face if she was proud or upset, her face looked neutral. She did perfect as expected from an angel.

After the short, bald boy received his quiz, the last person, the boy Rin called badass, walked over to the teacher after his name was called. Rin watched eagerly to see the same guy fail just as badly as he did. A punk like him couldn't stand a chance to get better than 2 points like Rin.

The teen saw Rin's horrendous mark as he passed by and added, "I couldn't do that bad even if I _tried_." Rin frowned. "You're too busy flirting with the girls, you _disgust_ me."

_Huh? What makes you think you're so smart, huh, Rooster-head?!_ Rin commented in his head.

Ironically, Rin heard the opposite of what he expected from Yukio, "well done, Suguro-kun." The boy named Suguro flipped the page over to reveal an astounding _98_ points. Rin's mouth dropped to the floor, completely and utterly shocked coming from someone like that guy.

"Huh?! A guy like you can't get 98 points! You must've cheated or somethin'!" Rin shouted out loud, which provoked Suguro.

"What?!" Suguro yelled in anger as he scrunched his paper in his fist. "I came here to study, so that I can be an exorcist!" The loud conversation between Rin and Suguro caught the attention of all the other students. "Everyone here is trying their hardest, unlike a slacker like you! So piss off!" Suguro cried out.

"Who the hell are you to criticize me, huh, Spike?! I'm tryin' too!" Rin shouted in protest. Yukio had the urge to step in when Suguro's two friends, the pink-haired and short teens, stepped in and restrained their friend from coming any closer to Rin.

"You've _never_ taken class seriously... all y'all do is sleep during it!" Suguro tried to resist his friends' hold on him as he pointed his finger at the blue-haired teen. "Bon, we're in the middle of class..." The pink-haired teen said as the short one added, "c-calm down, Bon."

"I'm a... a hands-on person, that why! I can't learn just by sitting on a desk and reading books, y'know!" Rin shouted back as Yukio held him by the arms.

"Yes, please tell us more why he should study, Suguro-kun," Yukio smiled, teasing his brother. Rin broke free from Yukio's grip and shouted, "who's side are you on?!"

"Who's do you think?" Yukio's smile wiped away with an aggravating frown.

Amitiel didn't understand why humans acted this way, at all. She watched as the boys argued with each other over the most useless topics. Is this how they resolve their problems? No wonder humans turned towards war on a bigger scale conflict.

* * *

Yukio couldn't believe how hot it had become outside. He could barely open his eyes without the strong, warm rays of the sun blinding him. He sat on the stone border of a fountain releasing shoots of water out of the statues on top. The cool sensation of the water and the smell of humidity calmed him, as well as the soothing sound of trickling water. Yukio reached over his suitcase, opened it, and then pulled out some papers he received from the authorities. It was just some typical cases of demonic activities occurring throughout the city. Yukio felt a warm breeze hit his body and he held onto the papers from blowing away. He turned to face the suitcase again when he saw Amitiel walking calmly towards him. Yukio straightened himself up as the blond sat a meter away from him. She didn't speak for a moment, and Yukio just focused back on the papers, until he was about to ask something when Amitiel blurted out, "I'm sorry for my reckless behaviour that day."

Yukio disclosed what he was going to say. "I also apologize for damaging school property, I paid for that." Amitiel added. She only looked at him with a bland look, expecting a response. Honestly, Yukio didn't expect at all an apology from someone like her. He could just tell in her dark eyes she didn't care what she does. However, this unanticipated moment seemed to relieve him.

Yukio had a look of calmness upon his face, "that's a step. I'm glad you apologized." Yukio furrowed his dark eyebrows slightly in a mild frown. "—but that was very unnecessary for you to do that."

Amitiel brought her hands together on her laps as she looked down at the grass. "Yes, and with that — will you forgive my mistakes?" Amitiel asked, hopefully Yukio would be more mature about it than Rin.

"Of course I will, in fact—" Yukio reached over to his suitcase and pulled out her silver blades, "... please use it against demons, not each other." Amitiel immediately grabbed them and shoved them back into their sheaths. As soon as the blades were placed where they belonged, Amitiel felt whole again. She urged herself to continue on with her task. Since a few days ago, she couldn't search True Cross Academy without a weapon for protection. More importantly, she thought about how easily forgiving Yukio was compared to his obnoxious brother.

"Thank you, Okumura-sensei," Amitiel replied with a small bow. "Your elder brother seems to despise me though."

"Yes, he can be tricky to forgive. Just give him time, he'll forget at some point. Why don't you go apologize to him?" Yukio suggested and he gave the angel a quick smile.

"I tried, but it didn't end well," Amitiel responded, which reminded her about what Rin said to her. Those words he said to her repeated in her head. She really shouldn't be talking to his brother. Indeed, Amitiel agreed Rin was difficult, especially if he holds a grudge against her. But one thing she didn't understand, was why he was so defensive for Yukio? Perhaps it was because he was his family?

Yukio gave an understanding nod.

"I've... Never met someone as hot-headed as him," Amitiel added. Compared to Rin and Suguro, her entire family in Heaven was very calm and composed, not a single angel would express any sign of anger, just like her. She just couldn't get mad at anyone, she thought that was completely useless and that it could only make situations worse. She didn't know what to be angry at.

"It's a part of his personality, it can't be changed, though believe me — I've tried," Yukio said with a chuckle. Amitiel just sat there, relaxed as she looked into Yukio's turquoise eyes, while Yukio found himself looking into her dark-brown eyes. Something about her eyes bothered him, they always seemed tired, but also empty and dull. He wondered what was going on through her head, if there was anything.

Amitiel slowly looked away, observing the people passing by, as she said, "I find it quite odd. You're the younger brother, right? But I thought _you_ were the older brother."

Yukio let out another smile, "Nii-san and I are actually fraternal twins. I guess behaviour-wise, I would be considered the mature, older brother. We seem to get this comment a lot." He chuckled. "But it's true, I am the younger brother, I studied exorcism since I was seven and attained my exorcist license at thirteen, so I have higher social status then my older twin brother."

Amitiel crossed her legs as she replied, "I heard from the others that you are the youngest exorcist to ever achieve the exorcist title."

"Yes, but it was a long, grueling journey, though," Yukio said with a somber tone. Amitiel saw him bow his head down, without understanding the many tribulations the young exorcist must have gone through. Memories of him throughout his entire training replayed in his mind, Yukio could only think about _one person_ in particular who was a great inspiration to him. Without this person, Yukio wouldn't be what he is today. And sometimes, Yukio wished he didn't have to go through life becoming an exorcist—yet he had a very important reason to do so, because he had no choice.

Since Amitiel didn't know what to say next, she decided to leave Yukio, before Rin finds them together. "I hope your older brother will follow your example, if you want, I'll go apologize to him right now," Amitiel said.

Amitiel was too late, near the outside hallway of the academy, Rin walked out with Shiemi and the first thing he saw was a broken truce. The familiar figure with wavy blond hair caused Rin's eyes to burn angry. He grit his teeth as he cursed under his breath, "... son of a bitch."

Rin charged towards Amitiel, who was talking to Yukio. The mere sight of her even near Yukio enraged him to no end, after what he specifically told her not to do.

"Yukio!" Rin shouted, which caught the attention of the angel and exorcist.

"Nii-san," Yukio tried to calm his enraged brother.

"You—get away from her," Rin said and glared at Amitiel, who stood there with the same calm look. Shiemi just fell silent.

"Nii-san, relax, we were just talking," Yukio said reassuringly but Rin's anger didn't cool down.

"I'm afraid I must go, or else your brother will kill me," Amitiel said as she turned to leave the brothers. At first, Yukio thought she wasn't serious, but her tone of voice showed she wasn't kidding about it at all.

Rin watched cautiously as Amitiel walked away without turning back, which made him sigh in relief when she was gone. Rin jumped onto the fountain and sat on it. Shiemi walked over to sit beside Yukio.

"Ugh, she reminds me of that guy. What's with him? Is he _smart_ or somethin'?" Rin spoke as he observed the campus around him.

"In fact, yes he is. His name is Ryuji Suguro, and like myself, he's on a scholarship. I've heard he's the son of the heir of a venerated and ancient temple in Kyoto," Yukio said and Rin assumed he was some sort of rich kid. In a prestigious academy like this one, only the richest families could afford to enroll their children here, and most of the students were spoiled brats. Rin and Yukio were lucky. They didn't have a rich lifestyle, they merely got in for special reasons—family reasons.

"He's also a very intelligent student and an exceptional athlete. You should look up to him, Nii-san, perhaps ask for help," Yukio suggested to his brother, who only threw away the possibility. He only swung his feet back and forth as he said, "well, I don't have the same perseverance like him, so..."

"Well anyways. How about you, Shiemi-san? Are things going smoothly in school?" Yukio asked the shy blonde with a warm smile. Shiemi's cheeks flushed to a bright red as she responded sheepishly, "n-not yet, Yuki-chan."

Yukio maintained his smile, "well, judging from what I know about you in the past, I see a positive change in you, so keep up the great work!"

Shiemi tried to hide her bashfulness as she replied with a bright smile, "o-okay, thanks, Yuki-chan!"

The two watched as the young exorcist stood up from the fountain, grabbed his suitcase as he said, "well, I have another class to attend, so I must go. Don't be late for Phys. Ed!"

And with that, the young teacher left Rin and Shiemi. Suddenly Rin's cheeks flushed a bright red when he realized something.

_... Crap, we're alone together_. Rin thought as he peeked over to Shiemi's back. Her soft, blond strands of hair fell delicately on her shoulders, covering her face from Rin. He stared at her, trying to think of something to talk about to break up the awkward silence. However, Rin couldn't think of anything. He opened his mouth to speak but it closed back on him. On Shiemi's part, she hoped the silence would stay. She wasn't a social butterfly and preferred things to be silent.

"Rin..." Shiemi's voice trailed away softly. Rin could tell by her tone she wasn't as happy as before. "...I don't really fit in well, do I?"

Rin swallowed and blinked as he looked up at the sky, trying to avoid making awkward eye contact with her bright green eyes.

"What? Is it because you're not trying to become an exorcist?" Rin questioned. Shiemi turned herself around. Rin stared at the bright, colourful patterns on her kimono.

"I'm not so sure..." Shiemi responded with a small bow to her head. Her blond bangs covered most of her somber green eyes. Rin thought about what to say next.

"Well, there are many different kinds of people here, so you're not the only one that feels out of place. Besides, after your exorcism, why not become one?" Rin said, remembering the time he first met Shiemi. It was that time ago when Rin and Yukio stopped by the exorcists' shop, also known as _Futsumaya._ Yukio had to exorcise Shiemi after a demon paralysed her legs. Once she was cured, she decided to enroll in the cram school with Rin.

Rin stared down at Shiemi on the fountain, as she thought for an answer, except she changed the topic of the conversation, "Rin..." She said softly and meekly, "d-do you have any friends?"

"Huh?" Rin said. Suddenly Shiemi stood up and grabbed Rin's hand, which shocked him to the point his face was hot and red like a tomato. His heart beat quickened as he stared at Shiemi with wide, blue eyes.

"Rin, c-can we, uh... y-y-you a-and I—" Shiemi stumbled on her words as Rin stared at her with bright red cheeks.

"Well well well, flirtin' again, I see," a familiar, deep voice sounded around Rin and Shiemi.

Rin was so angry at that comment that he spun around immediately to face the jackass who said that. Of course, as expected, it was the smart, rebellious-looking nerd, Ryuji Suguro and his crew. All of them wore purple track suits.

"_The hell we are, dammit_!" Rin screamed in anger.

"Heh heh, is she your girlfriend or somethin'? You sure are cocky for bringing your chick to an elite school, y'know," Ryuji jeered at Rin with a smirk. Rin, on his part, protested against that kid, "she's not my girlfriend, dammit! Quit assuming things so quickly, there's nothing between us!" Rin cheeks flushed slightly, and he tried so hard to conserve that.

"Oh, so she's just a friend, huh?" Ryuji raised an eyebrow.

Rin grit his teeth and said in a low tone, "she's not... a friend!"

Shiemi's innocent green eyes widened, then she felt herself sink down into gloom. After all that happened, why didn't he see her as a friend? Rin saved her, and she sees him as a friend, but why didn't he return it? Shiemi fell silent as Rin and Ryuji's dispute continued.

Ryuji formed a devilish smirk, "ah, I see." Instead, Rin felt even more offended, mainly by his presence, and decided to strike back.

"You're one to talk about, ya always hang out with those friggin' flunkies! Talk about _lame_!" Rin shouted, which provoked Ryuji.

"Huh?!" Ryuji shouted, expecting his friends to fight back. The pink-haired teen, whose name was apparently Renzo Shima, only covered his mouth and suppressed a laugh from coming out of it.

"What the hell's so funny?!" Ryuji barked at him.

"It's because it's true!" Shima laughed out loud and Ryuji's anger soared, "you _agree_ with him?!"

"Man, I can't friggin' stand you!" Rin said, and their conversation got louder and louder.

"They're... similar right? Shima said nervously.

"Yah, opposites attract, likes repel..." The short boy said nervously.

The trio of bystanders watched, hoping no one will get hurt from the fight going on between Rin and Suguro. Ryuji's friends and Shiemi watched silently as Rin and Ryuji were too busy killing each other.

* * *

**A/N: I guess its a little repetitive that I'm retelling the manga, but just in words! I tried to add my own personal touch such as extra scenes but still...reviews would help if I'm on the right track. Ummm, that's all for now**


	7. Chapter 6: Ambitions

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 6: Ambitions**_

* * *

**Amitiel had to say this must be the worst class she had ever attended. **It was called physical education, but for the cram school students, demons were used as a means of training for the students. The demons were held by thick, silver chains, and these demons looked like massive emerald green toads, excluding the strange magenta marks around their slimy bodies, their long reptile tails, and their slit, demonic eyes bulging out from the sides of their faces. They were several times larger than Amitiel and the students, but that didn't scare Amitiel. She had seen demons up close that were more menacing than these low-level monsters. The chains holding the demons trailed back to the center of the class, where 4 cages with more of the demons were locked up, which surrounded an area serving as the control center of the cages. The whole system was suspended by a bridge connecting it to the large exit. There were large, black metallic levers installed in a row on the control center, and within this centre stood their physical education instructor, Kaoru Tsubaki.

Apparently many instructors here came from many parts of the world, and this one was a French immigrant. He wore a simple bow on the collar of his white exorcist shirt. He had thick black eyebrows that almost curved down to make him look angry, as well as combed black hair and thick, black side burns. His eyebrows and side burns seemed to have never been shaved. He had a double chin and an exotic black French moustache, surrounded by black stubble around the lower parts of his face and around his neck and double chin. There was a thick, noticeable French accent in his voice.

"Alright students, welcome back to physical education, today we will take a step forward and get you kids conditioned to demons' movements. By knowing the general speed of demons, this will help you enhance your reaction time so that you may avoid a demon's attacks and prevent yourselves from getting injured. I warn you, though, demons are faster than you may think, but as long as you have proper clothing and footwear, you should be fine!" The teacher announced. The students all wore the same clothing. Amitiel wore a simple yellow tank top and baggy purple sweat pants, just like the other students, except some also wore the matching purple zip-up sweater.

Tsubaki pressed a button on the control panel in front of him, an alarming beeping sound rang and one of the cages of the demons slid open. The demon crawled out and sat onto the pavement, patiently awaiting its victims.

The teacher scanned through a clipboard in his hand as he shouted, "okay, Suguro-kun and Okumura-kun, you will go first as a demonstration for this lesson." Immediately, the two boys stalked to the end of the border surrounding the pentagonal hole to the demon and they both slid down the concrete. On some occasions, they gave each other fiery glares, and one pushed the other out of their way, and the other returned the assault.

Tsubaki blew a whistle and the boys immediately charged forward, with the demon hopping behind them, smacking down on the ground and shaking it slightly. What used to be a relaxing jog turned into a hard-core race against time. As soon as Rin cut off Suguro, all hell broke loose.

Amitiel could only sit back and watch as Rin and Suguro chased each other around in laps while running away from a demon. Sweat flew and screams echoed around the large, pentagonal dome.

Rin and Suguro screamed with all their might, pushing themselves and their bodies to their absolute limit. They did everything in their power to prove each other wrong in the race for first place—even though it was never a race to start with. It seems the boys forgot the real purpose of running.

"Get back here, ya punk!" Suguro cried out as he sprinted towards the blue-haired teen, who was meters ahead of him.

"Haha! Slowpoke! Ya think you could beat me with your brain in a real fight?!" Rin insulted the raging guy behind him. With his yellow hair, he looked on fire

_Ugh! This dude's seriously fast!_ Suguro thought as he struggled to catch up. Rin's speed was unlike what he had ever seen from other teenagers he competed against.

Up at the top, the rest of the students looked down at the two boys in disdain.

"What a bunch of assholes..." The pig-tailed girl scoffed at the boys. Her companion, Paku, sat beside her, legs pulled up in front of her chest, and she merely remained silent in worry.

Suguro grit his teeth so hard as he pulled himself together and cut through the intended path, charging straight at Rin, who was too busy running away from Suguro.

"...whatever's in a fight... all that matters is who wins!" Bon shouted as he jumped high and laid a blow with his foot to Rin's back, sending him soaring into the air and skidding down the concrete head first. After Rin's pained scream, Suguro spat on the ground.

Except, now Suguro had completely forgotten about what was coming at them. He had thrown himself into the demon's claws. Suguro looked back and screamed as he tried to run out of the demon's way, however, he had no energy left. The teacher immediately took action and pulled back on the lever in anger, "ENOUGH!" The chains on the demon recoiled to the cages and the demon screeched and was thrown back, dragging down the concrete just as Rin had done.

"What were you guys _doing?_! You trying to get yourselves killed?!" The teacher roared from the control center, his booming voice alarmed everyone.

"Yah, what the hell _were_ you doing?" Rin repeated the teacher's response to Suguro.

"I couldn't let you friggin' beat me," Suguro replied as he breathed rapidly, his hands were on his knees, and sweat broke out over his forehead. Both boys' foreheads were plastered with sweat and some of it built up underneath the boys' armpits, seeping through their clothes and creating dark patches.

"Oh! Ya want another challenge, eh?! Bring it!" Rin shouted from behind Suguro and the two threw themselves at each other.

"This isn't some sort of competition!" The teacher charged towards them after he climbed down from the control center. Suddenly he realized the boys hadn't listened to him at all. "HEY! Pay attention!"

Suguro's friends, the bald boy and Shima, rushed down to separate Suguro from Rin while the teacher restrained Rin from the latter. Rin gave Suguro the bird, and his anger flared.

"What is up with you two?!" The teacher yelled as Rin tried to claw his way towards Suguro, while the teacher restrained him from doing so.

"Sorry! He loses it too easily sometimes!" Shima said with a sympathetic smile.

Back at the top, the students didn't do anything but witness the typical fight going on down there.

"Absolutely ridiculous," Amitiel commented. She never expected a 15-year-old boy to act with this much immaturity. What was about Suguro that bothered Rin to this degree? First it was her, and now he turns towards another student—was it natural for someone to be this violent? There must be some valid reason for his behaviour.

After the teacher broke the argument, Tsubaki gestured towards Suguro to follow him. "Suguro-kun, I would like to have a word with you," the teacher cleared his throat and led Suguro away from Rin.

"Yes, sir," Suguro obediently replied and followed the teacher. Rin stuck his tongue out at Suguro behind his back and commented, "just what the hell is up with this guy?" Rin's face twisted into contempt.

One of Suguro's friends, Shima, responded, "ah, nothing, really. Bon's so worked up about everything he can be quite impulsive." He chuckled. "I think it's because Bon came here with great ambitions, y'know?"

"Ambitions?" Rin replied, that word piqued his interest.

Suguro glanced back at the boy, who was busy talking to _his_ friends. He really wanted to strangle him. Instead of laying a quick comment on Rin, Suguro forced his attention on the teacher when he cleared his throat and spoke, "look, Suguro-kun, you're known to be an honourable student. You're athletic and academic skills prove so, so the teachers expect great achievements from you, including me. However, I advise you that you do not get into such reckless behaviour." The teacher coughed, and Suguro frowned indignantly.

"Huh? I don't mean to disrespect you, but why are you only telling me? I mean, Okumura's just as guilty as me, am I right?" Suguro asked with a calm composure.

"Oh? I've been informed he's a special case, and that the Director himself got him into the Academy. I suggest you do not get yourself involved with that boy," the teacher said then cleared his throat again.

Suguro grit his teeth without showing them, he looked behind him to get one last glance at the mysterious boy named Rin Okumura. _So he's special, huh?_ He thought, truthfully, it pissed him off that a low-level kid like him got 'special treatment'. But what really bothered him was _why_.

Rin listened as Shima said something that soon shocked him, "Bon enrolled into the cram school solely to defeat Satan."

Rin's lungs stopped breathing and he felt his heart beat against his chest. The shock of hearing this left Rin speechless. Chills suddenly ran down Rin's spine, crawling through his skin as the very familiar name sounded in his head.

"What...?" Rin croaked, almost unable to breathe again. _That's..._ Rin paused. _That's just like..._ Rin couldn't even finish what he was thinking.

"Yah, quite funny isn't it?" The pink-haired boy added with a chuckle. However, Rin frowned as he replied, "I didn't really find it funny..."

"Oh..." Shima's voice trailed away. The short boy jumped in, "I wouldn't be laughing too, Shima-san." The short boy seemed frail and nervous to Rin, his eyebrows were always raised up as if he was scared, and his voice seemed shaky and soft. Moreover, Rin couldn't believe how _short_ he was, like a gnome. He had no hair on his head whatsoever, his clothes seemed a bit oversized, and most of the shirt was tucked under the boy's pants, strapped by a brown belt. His tiny black eyes were surrounded by large, round, saturated red glasses.

"Bon's trying to rejuvenate our temple back in Kyoto, which was nearly destroyed because of the _Blue Night_," the insecure boy said quietly.

"_Hacintho noctis_?" Amitiel whispered softly under her breath when she heard that particular word. She knew that name very well, although Raziel always referred to it in Latin. Apparently that was how the son of Satan came into existence.

"Huh? _Blue Night_?" Rin raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

The two boys were more shocked to hear that then Rin's thoughts on Satan. "What?! You've never heard of it? So you're one of those guys huh..."

Rin waited for an explanation, and the short boy answered that for him, "the _Blue Night_ was a catastrophic event that happened 16 years ago, when the most powerful clergymen were slaughtered by Satan..." The boy shuddered. Rin regretted asking that question.

Rin let out a quiet gasp, and swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat. He listened attentively for what the boy was about to say next.

"According to our current head priest," the boy swallowed nervously, "he saw the priests suddenly scream, bleeding all over from their eyes and mouths, and suddenly spat out blue flame." The boy shivered and stopped.

"Blue flames are the trademark of Satan," Shima continued the boy's response. "One by one they were burned by those flames. At that time, our head priest was still in training, and he couldn't do anything but hide in a dark corner and prayed until dawn. Unfortunately, it didn't really save the priests."

_Of course they didn't_, Rin thought. Whatever people said about prayers being heard, he thought that was a complete lie. He had prayed multiple times with his family, especially on Sundays and before supper, when he was asked to say '_Grace_' and pray for something 'God' could do to make the world a better place.

_None of his prayers came true._

Despite that fact, Rin still had faith in some higher power known as angels. Even though he felt his questions weren't being answered, he was confident angels protected him and his family from the dangers of the world. At least he was thankful for a comforting family and a ridiculously smart younger brother. Even though he never met his mother, Rin thought his father was the only parent he ever needed, that is the only prayer that was truly answered: a loving father like him.

Just when Rin was about to put all his trust into angels, it was destroyed completely since his father's death some time ago before he enrolled into True Cross Academy. Nevertheless, his death is the reason why Rin had to come here. Rin poured all his faith into angels to save his father, but nothing had happened that could have saved his father. Not even the angels had answered his call. Instead of protecting him like his father always said about angels, they had taken the most precious person to Rin, and he will never forgive them for that, he even stopped believing in them.

The short boy continued with his story, "...fortunately, our head priest—who's now Bon's father, took over the temple... But because of the _Blue Night_ that had occurred there, the many deaths of the priests in one night scared away most pilgrims and patrons. Since then, the temple fell into ruins, and the public began calling it the _'Cursed Temple'_."

"Konekomaru and I are apprentice monks from that temple, and we followed Bon here so that we can all learn exorcism, but Bon also wants to help restore his temple to its former glory," Shima said with a sympathetic smile. "Bon's been through a lot, so it would be nice if you could cut him some slack, okay?"

"So... the boy from the Cursed Temple, huh?" Rin whispered as he looked back at Suguro.

Rin's hateful thoughts about Suguro suddenly slipped from his mind. In truth, he began to empathize with Suguro's situation. He had lost many people that were dear to him, just like what happened with Rin with his father. However, there was a strong connection between both cases.

Both Rin's father and the monks were murdered by those blue flames.

* * *

"Alright, Kamiki, Moriyama, Tanaka, Paku, you're all up!" The teacher announced each of the girls' names. Amitiel watched as the others stood up. The boys climbed up the ladder back to the other students and the teacher returned to the control centre.

"I don't agree with this," Amitiel said, and her senses told her she couldn't trust those chains imprisoning the demons.

"Well too bad, let's go," the girl with the surname Kamiki interrupted Amitiel. She walked over to the end of the perimeter surrounding the pentagonal hole containing the demons, and slid down into the danger zone. Amitiel followed as well and the four stood still as the demon stared at them.

Everyone awaited the teacher's instruction when he added something, "Tanaka-san, you cannot use your weapon in class." The other girls looked over at Amitiel, with her two blades in her hands. The purple-haired girl gave her a scornful glance.

The angel looked at the demon, then at the students. She then shook her head and protested, "it's a demon. What if it attacks me?"

"See these levers?" The teacher said as he gestured his hand to the black levers in front him. Amitiel listened. "They control the chains on the demons, if there's any sign of danger, these levers will take care of them, as you may have seen with those two kids," the teacher said and shot both boys a glance of disdain. Amitiel fell silent and reluctantly sheathed her blades. If this is what the teacher said, it must be followed. That was what Raziel said, she will prioritize the teacher's orders as one of Raziel's.

_If you are wrong, then I have no choice but to kill it_, Amitiel spoke in her head.

"I understand," Amitiel responded, and Tsubaki continued on with the lesson. He wrapped his long fingers around the black handle and laid his thumb on a button.

The students prepared to run, Shiemi, on her hand, didn't seem fit to be running. Unlike other students, Shiemi wore a dress, a _hakama_, they called it. For some reason, this girl had the privilege to wear kimonos and other clothes besides the school uniform. Perhaps she's also related to a special exorcist?

"Okay, I will release it, ready..." Tsubaki put his fingers in his mouth and let out an acute whistle. The demon moved itself forward, and the students jumped in fear and began running as the demon hopped from behind them. Amitiel and the purple-haired girl, Kamiki, were leading the way. Paku was third while Shiemi was struggling, only reaching last place. The demon hopped behind, and the students ran in circles around the cages. The wind whipped through Amitiel's face and hair, and she missed that feeling, the wind, it was where she normally belonged that there was wind.

The purple-haired girl huffed for air, struggling to catch up with Amitiel, who didn't show a sign of slowing down, as if her energy supply was endless. Moreover, Kamiki noticed how muscular Amitiel looked like compared to her own skinny body. Paku trailed from behind, almost reaching her limit. On Shiemi's part, she was still struggling to keep up without the dress from sneaking under her shoes and trip her. She held onto the dress in front of her and charged with all her might. Amitiel noticed she got slower and slower, to the point the demon was catching up to her—

Shiemi suddenly screamed when she tripped, hitting the hard pavement while the demon lunged at her. Amitiel immediately skidded to a halt and she sprinted to the fallen girl, while Rin shouted Shiemi's name and was about to jump into the area when a thought stopped him. As he observed Hana rush to her aid, the thought of cooperating with her forced Rin to stop.

_Wait... why would I help someone like her?_ Rin paused as Amitiel was sprinting towards Shiemi, who covered her ears and curled up into a ball on the ground. The fact that Hana may risk her own safety didn't strike Rin's head. After what she did to Yukio, Rin questioned himself whether or not she really deserved his help. He was only thinking of saving Shiemi and no one else.

The demon was about to jump onto Shiemi on the ground when Amitiel ran between the two. The demon stopped suddenly and jerked back from a pull on the chain. The other two girls stopped and saw Amitiel between the demon and Shiemi, with the blade raised dangerously at the demon.

"Stay back, you demon!" Amitiel shouted and flashed her blade. The demon backed up in cowardice at the angel. The teacher and other students were slightly alarmed at how a girl like Hana could scare a demon. The purple-haired girl stopped and stared in astonishment as the demon remained immobile. It seemed as if the demon was not paying attention to her blade, but at her face. The students wondered if something on Hana's face alarmed the demon.

Amitiel lowered the blade, and saw Tsubaki had pulled the lever back. The chains were held back tightly, and the demon couldn't move even a centimetre without choking itself. Amitiel looked back to find Shiemi sighing in relief, her panting was quick and her face was plastered with sweat. The purple-haired girl rapidly discarded the thought Amitiel wasn't human when she saw her face looked normal, like every day.

Amitiel's eyes met Shiemi's shocked green eyes as the young girl whispered shakily, "I-I'm okay, T-Tanaka-san..."

Amitiel's response was a quick sheath of her blade back into its spot on her thigh. The angel nodded at the blushing blonde and began walking towards the ladder. Shiemi looked down at the ground with a large sigh, then slowly stood herself up.

"Moriyama-san!" The instructor's voice alarmed her. "Those clothes are not appropriate for physical education or even this generation! Where's your Phys. Ed clothing?" The teacher demanded.

"T-these are the only clothes I have, Tsubaki-sensei!" Shiemi turned back to glance at the teacher with her innocent eyes.

"This is why I told you students to wear appropriate clothing! What would you do if this happened to you again in real life?" Tsubaki tested the young blonde, who only looked down with red cheeks and proceeded towards the ladder, smoothing her dress from dust and particles.

Shiemi was about to climb up the metal bars until she felt a tap on her shoulder. "Huh?" She said and found Kamiki politely ask, "mind if I go up first?"

The young blonde didn't have enough time to respond when the girl walked past her and climbed up the ladder. "Wow, you were quite fast, Izumo-chan!" Paku remarked as Izumo sat down beside her and raised her chin up in superiority.

"Ha, it's not like I was that tired or anything," she said.

"You're lying, I saw you panting down there," Amitiel replied suddenly, arms crossed firmly. Izumo looked over her shoulder, as she shot the angel a somewhat annoyed glance, "why should that matter to you?"

"Because you lied," Amitiel simply put. Izumo let out a snort as she ignored Amitiel and added, "this is none of your business, besides, who cares if someone lied?"

"I do," Amitiel didn't stop. "I suggest you be honest with yourself, because lying too much can hurt yourself and others. Before you know it, not many people will trust you." Amitiel shot the girl a suspicious eye.

Izumo let out a sideways smirk, amazed by the angel's attempt at a mini-lecture. Why should she know more about her? All Izumo could think was how nosy she can be. A little lie like that certainly didn't cause any harm. Izumo ignored her as she whispered under her breath, "what a weirdo..."

Suddenly a familiar ringing reached the students ears. Amitiel spun her head around to find out where this strange noise was coming from, since its noise bothered her a lot.

"Who's cell-phone is that? In the middle of class, really?" Ryuji spat in indignation at whoever was disrespecting the class. Suddenly it was revealed who the culprit was when they took it out of their pocket. Ryuji fell back in utter shock when the person he least expected answered the call.

"_Salut, ma belle_?" Tsubaki replied. There was a pause. "Huh? Right now?!... hmm, you are a handful indeed, honey." There was another pause. "Alright, I'll be there right away." And with that said, he hung up.

The teacher returned his attention to the students as he raised his voice, "alright class! The rest of the period will be a study hall!"

What the instructor just said shocked all of the students.

"Now listen carefully! The _Reaper_ is generally a docile demon, however, it has the annoying habit to read the emotions of anyone who dares to look at it and then attack. All I ask is that you all stay away from the Reaper's chains until I get back, _comprenez-vous_?"

"What?!" Ryuji shouted. "Is that even legal?!"

"Alright, I have to go!" The teacher suddenly ran out of the classroom in an absolute hurry, as if it was an emergency, "_Je viens, chérie_!" He cried out as his shout echoed in the room before it faded away.

The students all fell silent, dejected and confused.

"What the hell?" Ryuji's rigid voice sounded, "and he calls himself an instructor?!" Ryuji crossed his broad arms with a sense of indignation, he formed a sharp frown with his thick black eyebrows. "I expected True Cross Academy to be a holy place of divine learning with well-committed instructors..." He noted under his breath.

"And the students suck ass, too!" He suddenly raised his voice, implicating his attention to the blue-haired young boy.

Rin wrinkled his nose. "Huh? Build a bridge and get over it, will ya?! How can you possibly know just how _committed_ I am too?"

Ryuji frowned. "By your annoying classroom habits," he jeered.

The girls watched silently as the boys began to argue again. "Not this again..." Renzo sighed. "Dude, why don't we just ignore all this and push it aside, okay?"

Instead of thinking, Renzo's friend shouted back, "shut up! You just stay out of this!" Renzo raised his shoulders, giving up.

Ryuji eyed Rin with a hard-edged look, his teeth grit hard as a thought ran through his head. _Special treatment, huh? He's probably one of those damn rich kids._

"Bon, you're being way over your head with this..." Renzo added. But instead of shouting back at him, Ryuji smiled as an idea popped in his head. He formed a crooked smirk as he said, "well, if you're so _committed_, why don't you prove it to me!"

Rin remained calm as he raised an eyebrow, "how?"

"By that!" Ryuji spun around and pointed his finger at the Reaper down below them. "Go down there, and touch it. Reapers read the emotions of people that approach them—fear, anger, sadness, jealousy—any sign of wavering, and you're dead meat." His words chilled both Paku and Shiemi. Shiemi watched Rin, anxiously waiting for his response. Whatever he was going to say, she hoped it wasn't the answer that will get him killed.

"Of course, I'll do it, too! And I'll win! If you can go down there and come back alive, you'll earn my respect. So what about it?" Ryuji waited for the answer.

The others watched and waited for Rin. He shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked a small stone on the concrete. He shrugged his shoulders, "sure, I'll do it." The others gasped in horror.

Suguro only smiled again when suddenly the next thing Rin said turned it upside down.

"Although I can be stupid, I ain't stupid enough to do _that_, unlike you, dumbass," Rin said with a bored frown and a finger up his nose, "so no, I ain't gonna do it." Rin gestured his head towards his sword slinging on his shoulder. He had best avoided anything involved with fighting with his sword, otherwise, the students might not really like what they might see, never mind run away like hell was on their tails.

"What?!" Suguro shouted.

"What if I actually died? I wouldn't want to lose my life over something insane like that!" Rin said. Ryuji was about to say something when Rin cut him off. "Besides," Rin eyed the teen, "I've got the same ambition as you do, moron. I wouldn't let that go to waste over some stupid bet."

Shima deeply regretted spilling Ryuji's ambition, and now he felt he should run before Ryuji turns his skin inside out.

Suguro was flabbergasted, then that feeling doubled and his anger boiled within him as he looked back to Shima. Shima broke out in a sweat as he was staring at the person who's going to become his murderer in a few seconds. "...You _told_ him?" Shima was three words away from being killed.

"Um, it kinda slipped out..." Shima let out a jittery chuckle. Suguro's eyes wavered away from Shima, who sighed in relief, and faced Rin with the same murderous look.

"Same ambition, huh?!" Suguro cried out, "you're just scared, that's what!"

"How am I scared?" Rin let out a toothy grin, "I'm not scared to face him. Why do you keep this secret? Maybe _you're_ the one who's scared." Rin whistled coolly as he locked his fingers at the back of his neck.

Rin's whistling died down when he met a pair of familiar brown, bland eyes. He realized Amitiel was staring at him, and for some reason, he was assuming she was disdainful about him. He could just feel the aura giving off her, and it wasn't a really positive one.

_He lied_, Amitiel continued to stare at him when he looked away. She was so sure of it, he _was_ scared of Satan, it was so easily exposed that she didn't even need to look in his eyes to see that he was scared. Every human should be scared of the Devil, if not, they're blatantly lying to themselves. Obviously, Rin hasn't come face to face with Satan, or else he would have been dead—burned into ashes.

"I... am _not_ scared, at least I'm courageous enough to even consider it! Even if no one understood!" Suguro shouted so loud his voice echoed across the gym area. Memories regarding his ambition replayed in his mind, from those times kids whispered about him, calling him the 'Cursed Child' and avoided him because they feared of becoming cursed when approaching him. Of course, that was the least of Suguro's concern. He didn't care what people thought of him, those despicable bastards. But what he really did care about was the fact that his father, the head priest of the fallen temple, encouraged Suguro to forgive what had happened to the temple, and that he should live a normal life. Suguro was only 8 years old, but he didn't want to play sports or go to the park, he wasn't interested in hobbies a typical boy at his age would love. No, he admired the art of Buddhism. Every time his father prayed, Suguro would join him and recite the prayers with him. Suguro even read books about Buddhist sutras and mantras, and basically memorized all of them.

Suguro didn't even consider what he should do when he was going to grow up. Instead of university, Suguro wanted to inherit the temple his father would pass down to him when his time comes, solely so that he can rebuild all of the damage Satan did to it, and heal the scars of those affected by the loss of those priests, especially Konekomaru. His parents were also murdered by those flames, and Suguro vowed to re-establish his temple and avenge those that had fallen.

He thought his father would give him encouragement, but instead, he only laughed at Ryuji's idea of defeating Satan and rebuilding the temple. Ryuji could still hear his father's chuckles lingering in his mind.

_Why..._

"Why won't you fight?! Aren't you frustrated or something?" Suguro called out on Rin. Rin didn't say anything.

"Y'know what? Screw it, I'll do it myself!" Everyone's eyes widened when Ryuji skidded down towards the demon. "You just watch me, ya wimp!"

"Is your master planning on throwing himself towards death?" Amitiel added with a side glance towards the two companions. The bald boy looked nervous.

"He'll chicken out anyways. What a dumbass," Izumo Kamiki commented instead of one of the boys. Amitiel observed Ryuji approach the demon with a puffed out chest. He walked confidently with fists balled up by his sides.

"_I..._" Ryuji closed his eyes and said the words out of courage. "_I..._" Ryuji paused, opened his eyes to stare straight into the demon's large orbs, and shouted confidently, "_I'm gonna defeat Satan!_"

Everyone stayed silent from the amount of nerve-wracking suspense, except for Izumo. She suddenly covered her mouth and laughed at Suguro, her laughs felt like a punch in the stomach to Suguro as he gasped in surprise... and humiliation. Her laughs began to feel as if his own father was laughing at him again. He could only stay still, gripped with mortification, as tears began to sting the back of his eyes. In the demon's eye, a reflection of his younger self was seen with the same, pain-stricken face he had when his father had the same reaction. Laughs echoed throughout his mind as his emotions came out as words, "don't laugh...at my... AMBITION!"

It was too late to realize Suguro had lost when the demon's pupils slit into thin black lines and it roared, bearing its teeth dripping with saliva. It suddenly pounced towards Ryuji, but he was too emotionally distracted to realize it.

"Bon!" The young bald boy screamed, which snapped Ryuji back into reality, then realized he was going to die as the demon lunged itself at him, roaring violently. Everyone watched in despair at the scene, too shocked to even react. Not in Rin's case. Shiemi screamed when Rin rushed off and jumped into the field. He landed right between Suguro and the demon, forcing the demon to attack Rin instead of the latter. A huge force struck Rin harder than getting hit by a car. The Reaper drove itself into Rin's body with its large jaws, sinking its teeth together in his flesh — crushing him. Suguro's tears streamed down as he cried out, "NO! OKUMURA!"

"Rin!" Shiemi screamed and fell down on her knees in despair and horror. Dust had formed around Rin and the Reaper, and tension built to the max. The students desperately hoped the one coming out of that cloud of dust was not the demon.

Amitiel's eyes widened only slightly when the dust cleared to reveal something she never expected. The dust cleared and there, with the demon's jaws around him, Rin—alive—stood still as the demon slowly released him from its mouth and withdrew with a sheer sense of shame. The students gasped as Rin laid his hand on the demon's nose as it lowered its head.

"_What the hell..._ Are you that dumb or something?" Rin said in a low growl, maintaining his gaze on the demon, with his dark blue bangs covering his eyes.

Ryuji's eyes were so wide he was afraid they might fall out. All the students, except Amitiel, were too speechless to even make a sound.

_He... really is an idiot_, Amitiel thought. _I'm surprised he's even alive but..._ Amitiel narrowed her eyes in suspicion at Rin. It was quite unlikely for a demon to recoil from a human, normally, they would attack on instinct, that's what all demons did. However, Rin seemed more terrifying then the demon. Then Amitiel assumed he must have taming abilities, or was there something else involved? It was rather suspicious.

After Rin took a long inhale, he whipped himself around and faced Ryuji with a look of sincerity. "Now listen up!" He shouted. "I'm the one who's gonna defeat Satan! So stay the hell out of my way!" Rin roared.

"What?!" Suguro cried out, his head felt like it was spinning. No way did he imagine someone else admit the same ambition as he did, and in public. _Is... Is he crazy?!_ Well, any other way, Ryuji thought he was hypocritical since he should be considered crazy too.

"No way, man! Ya just stole my idea!" Ryuji spat back as Rin frowned intensely.

"Huh? Since when did I steal it?!_ I'm_ the original!" Rin shouted back with arms raised in the air.

"You liar! I came up with it before you did!"

"Oh really? What year, what month, what day, what hour, what minute, what freakin' _second_?!"

"Far earlier than yours!"

* * *

"... He hasn't drawn his power out yet," Yukio Okumura said as he lowered his pistol, which was pointing at one of the students. In his other hand was his phone, which was held up against his ear. "The students' safety hasn't been compromised, fortunately," Yukio spoke as he observed the students from afar, behind one of the concrete walls of the training facility. This whole time he hid in secrecy as he observed all the students carefully, especially on one in particular.

"Very well, perhaps he may have his powers in control, after all," the voice on the other line answered. Yukio hesitated for a moment before he responded with a low tone, "I wouldn't be so overly enthusiastic over this." And with that said, Yukio hung up.

Yukio's eyes narrowed down as a single thought passed through his mind. _The power of Satan is not to be underestimated, it may be more uncontrollable than you may assume, Sir Mephisto Pheles_. Yukio placed his pistol back in its holster on the side of his belt as he left the scene.

* * *

Up on the great top of a building in construction, Samael took a sip from his relaxing hot cup of tea, then set it down on the small, china plate in his gloved hand. He watched in supremacy at the majestic True Cross Academy—his academy—looming over in the distance of the city, surrounded by the dark night sky. The wind was cool and relaxing, and it brushed through the demon's cape, causing it to dance in the air. The city lights lit up the ground, illuminating the underside of the black clouds in the sky with a dark, deep yellow glow. The sound of cars could be heard throughout the roads below him and over to the academy. Japan seemed to never fall asleep.

Mephisto felt a rush of energy wash over him as he turned his head to the side to find a young man dressed in odd clothing, just like him. Unlike Samael's clownish, formal wear, this young being was dressed in a gothic fashion. He wore a tan coloured short-sleeved vest with bones as buttons along the middle, along with a striped black, pink and purple shirt under the vest. Under the collar of this shirt was a yellow, white striped tie that hung loosely over his chest. Under his clothes he wore what seemed to be a long-sleeved forest-green undershirt, which was quite tight and traced the muscles protruding on his arms. Over this outfit was a long, mahogany red top coat which was ripped on the edges of its back, and the sleeves were rolled back to the being's elbows. He also wore shorts that reached up to his knees, which had a polka dot pattern with the same colour as his top coat, strapped together by a belt with a skull belt loop. Under his pants were the same green-coloured under clothes, and his feet wore black, clownish, gothic boots with more skulls. Altogether, he seemed to be dressed up for some Halloween event, but what really diverted himself from normal was the fact that, just like Samael, his hair colour was an odd, forest green colour with a light-green spike protruding from the top of his head, like a cone.

"I'm sorry for being late," the being said in a demonic language, his voice was slightly higher pitched than a man.

"Well, long time no see, Amaimon, king of Earth," Samael smirked sinisterly and took another sip of his tea.

"Yes, it has been a while, Brother," Amaimon replied. Mephisto noticed he brought his beloved pet Hobgoblin, Behemoth. Its big bulgy eyes on its ugly face were staring right at Samael, it scrunched up its face as it bared its sharp teeth. The little monster was strapped to a leather leash which Amaimon held onto with one hand.

"Now tell me, how did Father respond...?" Samael watched the scene patiently as he awaited Amaimon's response.

Amaimon lowered his chin, "... He accepts your proposal, Brother."

"Splendid!" Samael replied immediately, delighted by his response. A sharp, wide smile formed across his face, revealing his sharp canine fangs. "I have another message to deliver then, tell him that I've taken our younger brother into my custody, and that he is maturing steadily." He finished with a sip of his tea.

"Understood," Amaimon replied, but then something else touched his mind. "Brother... when are you coming home?" He tilted his head aside, wondering.

"Go," Samael ignored his question. "Don't make Father wait, he isn't quite the patient type."

"As you wish," Amaimon said, bowed, and then disappeared from thin air. Samael, alone again, took his one last cup of tea before he spoke, "heh, of course I will never return to such a monotone place. For an audacious being like me, there can be no better adventure then this!"

Mephisto's maniacal smile spread and he opened his arms as he shouted, "the real fun is just beginning!" He laughed over the city lights and buildings.

* * *

Shiemi's body jumped a little when a pile of heavy, dusty books slammed onto the desk beside her. One of the books was entitled _Oppression and Possession_, and a heavier, more ancient-looking one, _An Intro to Demonology: 2nd Edition, 1984_, was at the point of crumbling in his hands. Rin fell onto his chair, grabbed a book, flipped it open, and finally built up the courage to stare into the large white sea of tiny black words. Rin mumbled under his breath as he tried to make out the language, he wasn't even sure if it even was in Japanese.

"Good afternoon, Nii-san," Yukio walked over calmly towards his determined brother. Then suddenly he noticed something, "what are you doing?"

Rin bit his lip in hesitation. He opened his mouth slightly and buried his face in the book (which smelt like century-old dust). "...I-I'm studying," Rin spoke quietly.

"What?" Yukio's eyebrows flew up.

"I said I'm studying, goddammit! What do you think I was doing?! Just staring at a book for no apparent reason?" Rin threw a fierce glare.

Yukio was more startled then Shiemi, as if Rin had passed his first test, "I-Is this some sort of sign of the A-Apocalypse?!" Yukio gasped in horror and covered his mouth.

"Oh, shut _up_!" Rin screamed. "I... I'm not as stupid as you may think!"

Rin looked down at the book but suddenly flicked his hair aside with his head. His navy strands fell back to their original place, covering his eyes. Rin groaned as he held his bangs back by raking his fingers through them.

"Damn it, these bangs are such a pain in the _ass_-"

Ironically, Rin shut up when a tall, delinquent-looking guy overshadowed him. Ryuji looked down at Rin with a neutral look. His hands were in his pockets and overall, he looked relaxed.

"What up? You gonna mock me too?" Rin sneered.

Ryuji looked around himself, then responded, "no. I just wanted to say something to you..." Ryuji closed his eyes and bit his lip, as he reluctantly said, "thanks."

Rin's mouth went south as soon as he heard the unexpected.

Instead, Ryuji wasn't finished shocking Rin. He pulled out a long, metal clip from his pocket and handed it to the now speechless boy. Okay, that freaked Rin out more than the fact he survived a Reaper attack. Rin was hesitant to touch that thing in his hand.

"I use this for my hair to keep it out of my face whenever I study. You can borrow it, if you like," Rin swore he saw colour run up to Ryuji's cheeks. So he's human, thank god. Rin cautiously took the clip and stared at it, when Ryuji began walking away.

"Is this some kind of sign of the Apocalypse?" Rin stared back at Ryuji with the same, surprised glance.

"Hey! I was just being nice! Nice ain't evil, okay?!" Ryuji yelled back, as Yukio was about to have a heart attack and Shiemi was trying not to lose her sanity.

Rin caught a sufficient amount of bangs and pinned them back. Suddenly, a satisfied smile spread across the boy's face as he said, "hey! This thing actually works! Thanks, Suguro!"

"Really?" Yukio said as he rested his fingers on his chin, "it does give you a feminine touch."

"What?!" Rin shouted, "At least I don't have four eyes... Four-Eyes!"

* * *

By the time Rin's school day was over, and he had finished cram school, it was nearly 6 at night. Rin bustled himself in the kitchen he owned in the abandoned dorm. It may not have the most up-to-date, technological miracles of appliances, but it was enough to at least cook something decently. However, one thing Rin was not impressed about was the fact that it looked like a _dump_. Rin, being basically the housewife of the dorm, was always using his homework time to wipe down every square inch of this filthy kitchen. He even found a mouse nest in the cabinets on the floor, which also had a savage stench in it. The cookware was somewhat rusty, so Rin had to buy some new pots and pans, at least he brought his favourite rice cooker his father bought for him on his 10th birthday, it still worked like magic despite its age. The dorm's rice cooker was like an abomination to the kitchen—typical for something that probably hasn't been used for decades.

"Argh, crap, I forgot to buy some pork..." Rin cursed to himself, realizing the fridge lacked most of the ingredients he needed to make supper for himself and Yukio, and the dish he planned to make required pork.

Speaking about supper, Rin debated with himself if Hana would show up. He could make the excuse that he and Yukio had no talent at cooking, well in Yukio's case, he could make a two-year-old baby look better at making pancakes without burning the whole building down, in fact, he actually burnt one of Rin's most prized pans he got from saving up on his birthday money. Yukio had the brains but not the brains to cook. That pan was worth quite a bit for a damn pan, but it worked beautifully, despite his father yelled at him for spending that much money on a pan when he could save up on college money or something more important (but it was worth it though).

But to Rin, cooking and food was what's most important to him, besides family. He had cooked dinner for the family back at his monastery since he was five, and it was something he actually enjoyed about himself. It was basically the only talent he was good at. When he would be upset or was just bummed out, Rin would make one of his favourite dishes, called _sukiyaki_, mainly because it was mostly made of meat—perfect for a carnivore like himself.

"Well, I could make some _okonomiyaki_..." Rin spoke to himself as he observed the fridge, then took out some ingredients such as cabbage, then took out some flour to be used for the batter. He set everything on the large island in the middle of the kitchen. Rin mixed the batter together in a small bowl, and took out a cutting board and began to mince vegetables for the toppings. He then fetched the necessary equipment to grill it.

Many sounds of pans and pots clattering against each other filled the kitchen, with Rin cursing loudly. He reached deeper into the cabinet under the island to fetch a particular pan that would prevent the batter from sticking to it. Rin was seconds away from touching the pan when a voice broke through the clanging metal.

"Who's there?" That was definitely not Yukio, Rin was sure since it wasn't masculine. He thought it might be Shiemi, but this voice sounded too monotone for her sweet, vibrant voice.

Rin acted on instinct and stood up, only to bang his head hard against the ceiling of the cabinet. A loud, deep 'bonk' was heard while Rin screamed in agony. "Ow! Son of a bitch!" Rin yelped and managed to pull out of the cabinet and clasp his hands over his head. More pots fell out with him and scattered around the floor, still carrying out that loud, metal clanging sound throughout the kitchen. Amitiel stood with a bored stare, patiently waiting as Rin muttered to himself as he scooped up all his precious kitchen equipment.

After the kitchen became silent, Amitiel asked, "you can cook?"

Rin sucked in his breath and finally shut the cabinet doors, sealing the pots and pans inside. Rin rested himself against the island, arms resting on the wooden counter top. "No, I'm just cleaning up—"

"Stop that," Amitiel bluntly cut him off, which shut Rin up. He frowned derisively at the angel.

"Excuse me?" Rin raised an eyebrow, with a hint of insolence.

"You're lying again. How many times do you lie a day?" Amitiel replied.

Rin was only taken aback, he blinked multiple times and responded, "enough in my lifetime. Why do you care?"

"Because I know you did," the angel said. "I can see when you lie, so why do you lie? You obviously enjoy cooking, or else you would have been gone to the school's cafeteria, am I correct?"

_Just... what the hell is her problem?_ Rin thought. "Look, to tell you the truth, I don't like you. At all." Rin simply put, but Amitiel remained silent, unaffected by his hurtful response. "... so I don't really want to make you supper. _That_ is the truth."

"As long as you're honest, I don't care," Amitiel shook her head. Rin wrinkled his nose and scratched his head in confusion as Amitiel slowly sat down on a chair at the dining table just outside the kitchen. Rin could see the table across the windowless hole between the kitchen and table.

"I'm not really that hungry anyways," Amitiel added as she looked around herself. While he was cutting he glanced ahead at Amitiel, who had her silver blade in her hand and it danced between her fingers. Rin didn't really hope she would stay with him, especially since he wanted to keep a distance from her, but for some reason, she was always here. He would see her everywhere—he felt a bit stalked.

Amitiel continued to play with her blade in her hand, it swung back and forth in the palm of her hand as she kept her gaze away from Rin and stared down at the hall.

"You're a strange one," she suddenly broke the silence.

Rin stopped cutting and scraped the vegetables into the small bowl with the batter and mixed it with a wooden spoon. He began cutting cabbage. "Huh? I'm strange?" He set his knife down and stared at her in consternation.

"You almost sacrificed yourself to save Suguro-kun," she replied as she looked down at the blade in her hands. "I never expected you to do that. Did it hurt?"

Rin wasn't sure if he should answer or not. After a moment's hesitation, he replied, "nah, I'm a little sore, but it's nothing." Rin shrugged his shoulders and returned to his cooking. Rin poured the batter on the pan and it sizzled loudly.

"Rin, you are a perfect example of an exorcist," Amitiel added, and Rin almost dropped his pan on his foot.

"Huh?!" Rin said with wide eyes. He had never, not even a snowball's chance in hell, expected a _compliment_ coming from that mouth of hers. Should he take it as a compliment, if she wasn't just making it up?

"You have a very strong will, I can see it. You have so much control over yourself and your mind. Most importantly, you always put other's lives above yours. That's the golden rule to being a mighty exorcist," Amitiel continued. "I may not agree with your attitude, but—that's understandable, I guess..."

Rin wanted to deny what she just said. This time, he knew she was blindly lying about himself. What really touched him as a lie, was the fact that she thought he had control over himself. Sure, he couldn't control himself about Suguro, but for another reason, he wasn't in control, far from it. He felt like a beast most of his life, and he feels obligated to control the monster within him—his inner demons. He had hurt people because of himself.

On the other hand, Rin felt a small spark in his heart. He actually did have a pinch of gratitude for what she said. But... was she serious about it?

"...Thanks?" Rin didn't know how to really respond to that. He scratched his head, then looked up to her, who had no trace of happiness on her face. He started to doubt if she was serious about it or just didn't care.

"I guess there's no point in you keeping your distance—since were in the same classes," Rin added as he poured noodles into a boiling pot, and placed a lid on top.

Amitiel shuffled in her seat, crossed her arms, and then set her blade down on the table, "I never had the intention of threatening you." Rin remained silent about that. "Instead, I think I want to help you."

Rin almost tipped the boiling pot over. He felt she was surprising him so much it might get him killed.

"Help me? With what?" Rin replied sharply, observing the angel with crossed arms.

"Um... your—That stuff?" Amitiel pointed at the large bag sitting on the table. Piles of manga spilled out, along with some books and paper, and a small set of keys.

"You mean homework?" Rin raised an eyebrow, and Amitiel nodded. Rin looked away from her and replied while stirring the noodles with a wooden spoon, "I'm fine, no worries."

"You received 2 points last time I heard, uh... Rin."

"I don't give a damn about those numbers," Rin simply said while maintaining his attention on his supper. He honestly couldn't care less about school, he never had the intention of going to high school anyway. However, certain circumstances forced him to reconsider that.

"Well..." Amitiel spoke. "If you really do start to worry... about those numbers, I can be at your service. I can only offer you my knowledge in Exorcism and nothing else outside that learning zone."

"Really? But don't you..." Rin trailed away, "... Hate me, too?"

Amitiel tilted her head aside and replied, "I was never mad at you, just—" Amitiel ran out of words, she couldn't really express herself correctly.

Rin waited for her to finish when she suddenly pushed her chair back and stood up. "Well, I guess I must go eat. You should have supper with your brother only," she said with her back turned on him.

Amitiel was about to take a step towards the hallway when Rin added, "h-hey!" Rin looked at the food that was nearly complete. "... You don't have to go to the cafeteria, the food's quite pricey. Want some homemade _okonomiyaki_?" Rin said as he raised a finished plate towards her.


	8. Chapter 7: Lie to Be a Friend

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 7: Lie to Be a Friend**_

* * *

**"Shiemi, don't forget to bring your lunch!" A womanly voice called up from the main floor.**

"Yes, mother!" Shiemi called back and walked into her kitchen to fetch the box of _bento_ sitting flat on the counter. Shiemi went down the stairs to the _Futsumaya_ shop, since it was directly built within her own house. Her mother was busy unlocking the door and opening some curtains. Overall, the place was slightly dark but roomy. The walls leading up to the desk her mother worked at were covered by golden wooden shelves marked with different names of pharmaceutical chemicals and plants. The room was painted a deep mahogany red and a dim, yellow light shone from the ceiling. The scent of herbs, wood, and incense danced lightly in the air.

"By the way, Shiemi," her mother said. "Have you found any luck making friends?" Her mother sat down at her desk and waved an elegant cigarette holder and placed it into her mouth, then breathed out a light puff of smoke.

Shiemi reached down to fetch her wooden clogs then snuggled her feet into them. She turned around with a confident smile, "yes, I have, mother!"

"Well, that's good news!" Her mother beamed. "Perhaps one of your friends can come over sometime."

"Of course," Shiemi smiled again, fixed her kimono, then stepped out of the door and made her way towards the bridge reaching the academy.

Shiemi breathed in the whistling wind blowing across the bridge, overlooking the large expanse of Tokyo city. Her home was located on a large, high tower belonging to True Cross Academy, so it was normally breezy near her house. She thought the bridge was beautiful at night, especially with a wide, open view of the city.

However, as soon as she walked out the door, her mother's words finally hit her. Shiemi sighed in gloom, "...friends, huh?" Shiemi spoke to herself as she walked to the door to the academy in discouragement. The fact that Rin bluntly shouted she wasn't considered a friend really felt like a slap to her face. She didn't really have _any_ friends in her lifetime, to be honest. But for some reason, she _chose_ to seclude herself. She thought of people as... Judgmental, loud, and overall scary. In spite of that, she thinks it would be better for herself if she made an effort to talk to people, instead of over generalizing people in general.

Her only special person she truly felt comfortable around was her grandma. To Shiemi, her grandma was the only friend and family she ever asked for. Her grandma was the reason she was so interested in gardening. Her grandmother owned and nurtured the garden in the back, but after she passed away last winter, Shiemi took possession over it.

Shiemi's only true best friend was gone. But for wherever her grandma is, she hoped she was at peace in the Amahara Garden, watched over and cared for.

Shiemi felt the back of her eyes sting as tears began to cloud her vision. Her lips quivered as Shiemi tried to hold back her tears.

_I mustn't cry..._ Shiemi told herself. She looked down at her hands and pursed her lips while her vision began to cloud from the tears. Shiemi balled her fists and looked up, shaking her head and wiped away the tears in her eyes. "No, now's not the time to cry! Today, I'll make my first friend!" Shiemi pulled out a magic key and placed it in its hole on the door. She twisted it and with a click, opened the door to the dense, empty cram school hall.

Shiemi stepped into the hall and the door shut on her. She walked down the hall when she stopped to hear other footsteps nearby. She saw ahead of her Izumo and her friend, Paku, arrive in the hall just at the same time Shiemi did. How lucky!

_Wait!_ Shiemi exclaimed. _Izumo-chan... She could be my first friend!_

Shiemi gathered her courage as she caught up to the girls as she yelled, "HELLO—!" Suddenly Shiemi's foot twisted and she fell onto the ground. Her shoes went flying along with her purse.

Her purse flew until it was caught by someone. Shiemi moaned in pain as she hurriedly gathered her things, and came eye to eye with Amitiel, with Shiemi's pink purse in one of her hands.

Shiemi remained silent, her eyes glistened with tears as she stared at the two girls. Izumo, on her part, merely rolled her eyes as she scoffed, "what a klutz."

Shiemi turned crimson red from embarrassment.

With a sense of superiority, the purple-haired girl flicked one of her long ponytails back with her forehand and continued on down the long, empty hallway.

"A-are you okay, Moriyama-san?" Paku asked with her fingers over her mouth.

Shiemi nodded sheepishly.

"Okay, be careful next time," Paku shot a friendly smile. Her soft voice soothed Shiemi's anxiety. Paku turned around to catch up with Izumo.

"Is this yours?" Amitiel asked blandly as she passed the purse to its owner. Shiemi grabbed it and held it tightly.

"P-please..." Shiemi mumbled as her head remained low.

"What is it?" Amitiel asked with a bland look.

"... D-Don't hurt me," Shiemi looked up into Amitiel's dark, hollow brown eyes. She regretted doing so and quickly looked away.

Amitiel recalled that she threatened her friend Rin, could that be the reason the shy girl was wary around her? Amitiel went on her knees and picked up some other things that Shiemi dropped, such as her pencil case and makeup.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, that's not what I wanna do," Amitiel said as she passed the things over to Shiemi. Shiemi bowed her head down, her bangs covered most of her face.

"Shiemi? What're you doing on the floor?"

Amitiel looked up to find Rin standing in front of them. His covered up sword was slung over his left shoulder, and his school bag was on the other.

Amitiel felt Shiemi jolt at his presence, embarrassment swirled inside the young blonde as she directed her face at the boy. "Rin..." She whispered nervously.

Amitiel noticed the girl formed tiny tears around the bottoms of her eyes, her lips quivered heavily as her cheeks flushed red. She picked up her bag in haste, bolted up, and sped off away from the angel and Rin as she blurted out, "I-It's nothing!"

"Whoa, what's up with her?" Rin remarked as the blond sped down the hallway. Amitiel didn't respond, as she was trying to decipher what Shiemi's eyes were doing.

* * *

Everyone in the class raised their chins up as soon as Yukio held a large (possibly heavy) stack of booklets in his hand as he announced, "summer break is almost here, which means the _Exwire Certification Exam_ is coming up." All the students, including Amitiel, were not amused by this reminder.

"Pages undergo special battle training, which will test your competence in exorcism, and judge whether or not you are worthy to be promoted to the Exwire rank. So don't expect this to be easy," Yukio added, something that crushed the students' confidence in hoping it would be a piece of cake.

Amitiel rested her cheek against her palm, showing no interest in the exam as Yukio continued to speak, "so next week, we will hold an intensive study camp."

"Camp?" Rin sat up immediately and his face lit up.

"Yes, _camp_," Yukio's eye twitched behind his glass spectacles. "By the way, how was your nap, Nii-san?" Yukio asked sharply.

"Oh, I had the best dream ever. I dreamt of sitting around a campfire eating s'mores—"

"This camp will not take place in a forest," Yukio cut him off. "Think of it as a massive test, in other words, an Exwire Certification _exam_."

"Whoa, okay!" Rin raised his hands up in surrender. Today must be one of those days Yukio acted possessed. The majority is due to Rin, obviously. No one pissed his twin off more than he did.

Yukio heaved an exasperated sigh and passed the sheets and booklets in his hands. Everyone observed the print on the paper as Yukio added, "now then, to wrap things up, the last thing I need is for you to circle whether you wish to participate, and fill in your desired _Meister _by Monday."

Rin observed the sheet without a clue, miserable that his own brother assigned him what he thinks is homework, "Meister? What's a friggin'—"

Rin stopped and cocked his head towards Shiemi, she looked up at him immediately with expectation in her green eyes, "Yes?"

Rin stared and blinked, then quickly turned his head towards the sheet in his hands with rose cheeks, "N-never mind..."

Rin looked beside him and observed Hana, then at Izumo, but they were both busy reading the sheet. He knew Hana definitely would not know what a Meister is, he swore that head of hers is literally empty, both with thoughts and emotions, and he decided Shiemi wasn't quite someone he could rely on without blushing intensely and creating an awkward scene. He would probably choke on his own words when trying to talk to her.

Izumo seemed to hate everyone in the class, so she's not an option.

Paku? Nope.

Yamada? That's the name of that guy who always wore a black hoodie over his face. Probably not the best reliable source.

Takara? He talks to his puppet as if it was completely acceptable! No thanks. Rin doesn't want some of his crazy to rub off on him.

Rin sighed, a bit disappointed and embarrassed at the remaining option left. Rin pushed back his chair and walked reluctantly towards the trio.

"What's a Meister?" Rin said bluntly as he held up his sheet, "could someone tell me, please?"

Ryuji Suguro shot him a disdainful look as if he couldn't count to ten. "What?! You don't even know that?! Oh, c'mon, gimme a break!" He shouted in utter anger.

"Wow, Okumura, you don't know anything, do you?" Shima chuckled.

Rin tried to act innocent. "Aw, come on, guys, some people of like that..."

The bald boy began speaking, "a Meister is—"

"Don't tell him, Konekomaru!" Suguro cut Konekomaru off when he restated Rin's question.

Konekomaru intentionally ignored his friend and answered Rin's question with a carefree smile, "a Meister is defined as a skill qualification you need to earn in order to become an exorcist. There are five types: knight, dragoon, tamer, aria, and doctor. Each Meister fights a different way, and only one is required in order to become an exorcist."

After Konekomaru finished, Suguro fell silent with frustration as Rin smiled with gratitude, fully understanding Konekomaru's intelligible explanation. "I think I got it! Thanks, Konekomaru!"

"Not a problem! Glad I could help!" Konekomaru smiled.

"Since when did you two get along?!" Suguro jumped in upon noticing a friendly conversation starting.

Rin and Konekomaru paid no attention to their angered friend, "Shima and I are gonna be arias. Arias recite verses and sutras to fight." Konekomaru said as Shima introduced himself with a wave of his hand.

"Bon is going all gung-ho, so he wants to be a dragoon _and_ an aria!" Shima pitched in.

Rin looked back at an over raged Bon with wide eyes, "very ambitious, Bon!"

Suguro lost his composure and corrected Rin's remark, "Suguro! Don't you dare call me 'Bon'!"

"Did you know that Okumura-sensei is a doctor and a dragoon?" Konekomaru stated matter-of-factly.

Rin's eyebrows flew up. "Really? That's cool..." He focused back at the sheet with another question, "so which one should I choose? What about a dragoon?"

Suguro smacked down his fist on the wooden desk.

"Oh, for the love of—you're a friggin' pain! A dragoon fights with firearms and a knight fights with a sword! Get it right!" Suguro shouted impatiently.

At the mention of the knight's capability, Rin immediately made up his decision, "a sword? Then I'm gonna be a knight!" Rin looked down at his sheet contently.

"Oh, yes, you always carry a sword." Konekomaru noticed the sword on Rin's shoulder.

Amitiel noticed Rin looked down in gloom at the mention of his sword as he wrote quietly on the paper, his upbeat mood had drowned.

_Well... Why would he be in pact with a demon sword?_ Amitiel thought. She could feel its aura emanating in pulses, it was so dark it sent her senses shivering out of control. This must be a very powerful sword—she hadn't felt this much power since a long time ago.

Amitiel slowly looked back and laid her eyes on the unmarked sheet before her. The skills she specialized in was also a knight, but also an aria. As an angel, she possesses vast knowledge on many different, ancient verses that even humans don't even know. She circled the knight and aria sections.

The angel breathed out and closed her eyes tight. She entered a deep state of concentration, as she began to analyze and detect the presence of the son of Satan, however, she had no success—as if she didn't even have the ability to sense demons, which made her feel powerless. All she could feel was that damn demon sword, its power was too strong it obscured all the other auras around her, even she couldn't quite feel Izumo's soul behind her. It was like trying to listen to someone in a loud, overcrowded area.

Ever since she had entered this academy, all she felt was the power leaking out of Rin's sword, just what does he have sealed in there? It could be a high-class demon, but even that class of demon didn't have such raw power as _this_. She couldn't explain it, it was some peculiar feeling, and it was as if the sword was actually messing with her senses, like it was trying to prevent her from finding the son of Satan. Without her ability functioning properly, it was like looking for the son of Satan blindfolded.

If only she could destroy that sword, her senses would snap back into place, and she could proceed...

_Perhaps he's in this room right now..._ Amitiel told herself, and she opened her eyes. She had an idea. To Amitiel, merely observing just didn't seem to be enough. Perhaps she would need to interrogate some people in order to gain information and some clues as to who the son of Satan was.

Amitiel looked back at the boys, Rin and the Kyoto trio were busy chatting, except for Suguro, who only crossed his arms and leaned back on his chair with a frown. At least Rin and Suguro aren't rolling on the floor choking each other to death.

Amitiel handed her paper to Yukio and walked over to the boys.

"Oh, have you decided anything... Tanaka-san?" Konekomaru asked sheepishly. He stuttered a bit.

"Indeed, I have. I decided to be a knight and aria," Amitiel responded as she gestured towards the blades on her thighs.

"Hey! Me too!" Rin exclaimed. Amitiel wasn't sure if Rin was disappointed or surprised.

"I don't care," Amitiel bluntly responded, and Rin withdrew himself from her.

"Look, I have some questions to ask you. Answer them honestly," Amitiel said as she turned towards Suguro with a sharp eye.

Ryuji rested his hands on the back of his neck as he leaned back on his chair. The look on his face indicated he was not in the mood, at all.

"Do you sometimes become so angry you literally flare up without burning yourself?" Amitiel asked, which earned her an intense frown with confusion.

"What?" Suguro blurted and leaned himself forward.

"Well, do you?"

"What the hell?! What kind of question is that?" Suguro formed a wrinkled face.

"You're getting angry—do you feel hot or sweaty anywhere? Do you experience a strong desire to kill someone, possibly bring upon the Apocalypse and burn down Earth in your flames of rage?" Amitiel asked with such calmness on her face, Rin and the others were actually taken aback that she was serious about it.

"Is this some kind of joke?!" Suguro was sure he was going to flare up any second now.

"Hmm, perhaps I was wrong about you..." Amitiel muttered to herself. She shot Suguro an apathetic stare and turned towards Shima. Shima felt a little nervous at what ridiculous question she might ask.

"Do you always experience an uncontrollable sexual desire towards a woman or even a man? Do you tend to arouse someone without even trying?" Amitiel questioned the slightly shocked pink head.

"Eh, pardon me?"

"You're constantly flirting with other women, are you sure you do not plan to kill them once you've attained sexual satisfaction from them?" Amitiel narrowed her eyes.

"Um... no," Shima replied nervously and swallowed down a lump. Amitiel breathed out when she realized he was telling the truth.

"Are you sure you aren't an incubus?" Amitiel asked him again.

"Well, I used to be called the 'Erotic Demon', is that what you'd like to know?" Shima formed a perverted smile and winked at the angel. "I can show you why I'm called that."

Amitiel maintained an uninterested, bored stare. "Nope, you're not the one I wanted," Amitiel concluded.

"Wait! I can come up with a better pick-up line, I swear!" Shima pleaded.

Finally, Rin tensed up when she turned towards him. Her apathetic look caused him to shiver.

"—I'm good at cooking, that's all," Rin blurted out loud before she could ask him another crazy question.

Amitiel raised an eyebrow. That was true, but still. "Then you must love playing with fire, right? Do you enjoy setting things on fire, especially humans? Possibly a whole group of humans maybe 15 years ago?"

Konekomaru almost lost it for a second when she was implying about the Blue Night.

"What? I ain't a friggin' pyromaniac, if that's what you're assuming!" Rin obviously didn't quite recognize what she was referring to.

Amitiel exhaled as she said, "thanks for your honesty."

The boys exchanged glances with Amitiel and each other as she turned back and returned to her desk.

Amitiel sat back down and rested her head on her arms. She had never felt so lost and stuck as this. Even though she asked, she felt she wasn't getting any valuable sources to his identity. No matter what she did, she probably isn't even close to finding him. She must finish this before it's too late, the world is in danger as he lives. Just who the hell is he?

Nevertheless, she knew exactly what she must do. She must eliminate that sword.

* * *

The students all stared in awe at the sight of a large, chalk circle composed of many complex glyphs and symbols surrounding the border of the circle on the floor. In the centre of the circle was the inverted star pentagram.

"We will now summon demons," Mr. Neuhaus, their Magic-Circles-and-Seals teacher, announced after he lifted the tip of his large, man-sized compass off the complete design of the circle.

This exorcist was obviously a tamer. The students could tell by the strange summoning markings etched in the skin of the teacher's arms. What was quite odd was the fact that he was wearing an eye patch on his left eye. His one eye seemed tired and droopy, which reminded Amitiel about Raziel—since he was also always tired. The teacher's forehead was also covered by dark brown, messy layered bangs, and had large cheek lines curving up from the corner of his mouth to his nostrils, even without smiling. His build was lean, but he was surely shorter than Raziel, perhaps the same height as Yukio.

"Do not step on the diagram," the teacher warned when Rin stepped forward in curiosity, "breaking the circle will render it ineffective."

Rin took a slow, cautious step back.

Amitiel stood still as stone. How ironic is it for a demon to be summoned by an angel, and obey an angel? That was obviously the most irrational thought someone could ever come up with in their head. The last thing Amitiel ever wanted to do was summon a demon. Angels and demons have great hostility towards each other, and this hostility had lasted for many centuries. The angel moved her hand and glided it towards one of her blades on her thigh, preparing for whatever trouble might come.

She never intended on trying to summon a demon, and on the side note, she certainly did not want to become a tamer anyways.

"Summoning a demon requires the appropriate amount of blood and the correct invocation," the teacher spoke as he unwrapped his hand swathed in an old, blood-stained bandage. "The more blood you use, the stronger your summon, and the more likely you are going to summon a stronger demon." He held his hand above the circle and droplets of deep-red blood plopped onto the circle from the wounds on his palm. "However, sacrificing too much blood can also cause health complications, including anemia and hypovolemic shock."

Everyone stared in trepidation as the teacher chanted, "_Son of Typhon and Echidna, hear my call. Come forth_!"

As he finished chanting, smoke began to swirl around the circle. Amitiel's body tensed as a black, clawed hand emerged out of the area within the circle. The students all stared in awe as the demon fully emerged. Its body was that of a human's, but its spine arched down and the demon stood on its hands and feet. Its body was covered in scars and many lines of stitches of different lengths ran across its thin, mouse-coloured skin. Blood and infection oozed out of the stitched wounds. The demon itself was composed of different limbs that were poorly stitched on.

"Few of those are capable of summoning a demon to be their familiar," Neuhaus continued, "in order to succeed, one must require a strong, incorruptible spirit... as well as inbred ability!"

"Ew! It reeks of sulphur!" Shima exclaimed as he plugged his nose.

The students commented at Mr. Neuhaus's demonstration, except for Amitiel, she only stared at the demon with the most hostile but bland look.

"Now, if you believe you have this ability, use the papers with magic circles I handed out earlier." Mr. Neuhaus shot a quick, suspicious glance at Rin. "Prick your finger and chant whatever comes to mind."

Rin caught that glance and raised an eyebrow. He could tell it was a quite a suspicious glance. It seemed that anger flashed in his eyes, as if he knew something different about Rin. Rin felt an uncomfortable feeling in his gut, an indication informing him that that teacher may have hidden intentions, and they may not be very good ones.

Amitiel laid her eyes on Izumo, as she was first to make the move. She could sense clear potential in her, as if her blood was meant to be shed for summoning demons. Izumo pricked her finger and dabbed her blood onto both papers in her hands as she closed her eyes and spoke an incantation. She waved her papers in the air and chanted, "_Inari, I humbly beseech thee...to grant my request!_" After Izumo finished, a swirling, cloudy white mass emanated from the papers. Out of the white clouds swirling in the air above the summoner's head, two white foxes formed. The foxes landed delicately onto the tiled floor beside their master.

Rin was easily impressed by the girl's successful summoning. Amitiel was deeply impressed at her very first try. She showed no sign of anxiety, it was as if it was second-nature to her.

"Whoa! Cool! What are those?!" Rin asked curiously.

"Two white foxes: _Byakku_. Well done, Kamiki," Neuhaus praised the purple-haired teen.

Izumo's friend looked aside at her best friend, open-mouthed. "Wow! Amazing! I didn't even get anything..." Paku looked at her paper in hopelessness, along with Suguro and his pals.

Izumo raised her chin up in superiority and raw pride, "of course, I have the blood of shrine maidens in me!"

"Just because you're a descendant of shrine maidens doesn't make you more special than us," Amitiel jumped in with an unimpressed glance.

"Being the daughter of an exorcist doesn't make you more special either," Izumo parroted back with arms crossed.

"Most people aren't shrine maidens. Unlike you, Neuhaus-sensei isn't one and he did a much more fantastic job than you," Amitiel said calmly, but it felt as if she was giving some sort of compliment instead.

_W... whoa! That was very blunt!_ Rin's eyes widened.

"Excuse me? Say again? Since when did I ask for your lame opinion?" Izumo frowned, insulted by her remark.

"I should let you know that I don't care that you're related to witches," Amitiel spat. "You basically give your body over to demons."

What Amitiel said turned Izumo crimson from anger. Something about what she said really touched Izumo.

"That's enough, Tanaka." Neuhaus warned, breaking up the hostile conversation.

Rin looked aside and gave Amitiel an indignant glare, "Hana..."

"What did I do?" Amitiel asked as if she did nothing wrong.

"Just shut up, and let it go," Rin murmured to her in sincerity.

"What? I'm just saying the truth," Amitiel said then stared down at Izumo, who balled up her fists and clenched her teeth. Rin sighed.

"Well, clearly you don't know what you're talking about..." Izumo's head bowed down and her straight, purple bangs shielded her flaring gaze. "What makes you think you know more about _my_ family history?"

Amitiel stayed silent with monotone eyes.

Izumo swallowed down her anger then snorted, "Well, if you think you're so superior to us, I'd like to see you summon one, c'mon, try me." Izumo placed her hands on her hips and lifted her chin up in superiority.

_She thinks she has more authority just because her father's an exorcist..._ Izumo thought with a snarl.

Rin looked aside at Amitiel, she only stared at Izumo without a sign of panic, or anything that might indicate that she may accept or not. The angel glanced aside to Neuhaus' familiar, which stood just as still as her, then redirected her attention back to an impatient Izumo.

"I would..." Amitiel trailed off, which made Izumo's chest leap with anticipation. "...but I can't. I choose not to achieve the Tamer Meister. I wouldn't want a demon to do my bidding," Amitiel finally said, which caused Izumo to frown again.

"I'm sure you have the same talent as Kamiki-san," Konekomaru added nervously. "Taming isn't the same thing as slavery, if that's what you think."

"No, that's not my technique in a battle," Amitiel replied immediately, as she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Neuhaus. "I would rather kill a demon than make it my ally. Why in hell would I make friends with blood-thirsty monsters?" Amitiel's tone was calm, but the students could tell she was responding in a menacing way. Neuhaus frowned at her severely, disrespected by the look in her eyes. But, aside from disrespect, Neuhaus actually felt a little threatened, personally.

Amitiel's words caused Rin's heart to leap, as if it was some sort of personal attack.

"L-Let me try!" Shiemi cried out suddenly.

"Yes, you should. Summon something far more formidable than two foxes," Amitiel commented, loud enough for Izumo to hear.

Izumo breathed heavily as her composure was being strained by Amitiel's incessant remarks. Paku stood near and hesitated to reach out to Izumo. She drew her hand out but pulled it away.

_Human, you dare mock us?_ One of the foxes growled.

Amitiel turned her head slowly towards the speaker, then suddenly the fox took a step back and growled murderously at Amitiel. The other fox realized something about her then growled too. Izumo looked at Amitiel in suspicion, wondering how she could provoke her familiars by a glance.

Shiemi interrupted the argument when she held the paper in her hands with confidence. Without an idea of a specific chant, Shiemi chanted whatever came out of her mouth. "Come here, come here... or something!" Shiemi giggled.

No demon emerged from the paper, except for silence.

Shiemi's excitement began to deteriorate as the seconds of no success passed by. Suddenly, in a puff of green smoke that formed above the paper, a small green imp burst out of the mass of green. Shiemi merely stared in shock and surprise as the tiny, leafy demon glided down delicately onto the paper and landed light as a feather. It raised its paw in salutation, "Nee!"

Shiemi wasn't sure if she should react by releasing the paper and drop it onto the floor, but she stood agape at her unexpected success until she was able of letting out a few words, "H-hi there...!"

The demon leaped onto the girl's shoulder. Shiemi felt a little frightened at its sudden action but the demon had no intention of harming her, it clung onto her blond hair; weighing no less than a feather. Moreover, it was so tiny and benign it didn't display the side of a savage monster.

"A baby green-man. Excellent work, Moriyama," Neuhaus said in approbation.

Shiemi giggled as the demon played around in her hair, suddenly, Shiemi smiled._ This is my chance to talk to Kamiki-san!_ Shiemi showed her familiar in her hands as she called, "K-Kamiki-san! I-I summoned my familiar too!"

Izumo frowned intensely, then spoke with a fake smirk, "oh _cool_! It's so _cute _and _tiny_ like a little _bean_!" Izumo exclaimed sarcastically.

Instead, Shiemi's face was flushed red as she bowed her head down in gratitude, "cool? C-cute?!" Shiemi was overwhelmed with happiness and honour. "Thank you, Kamiki-san!"

Rin's face distorted into a frown when he realized Shiemi didn't exactly catch Izumo's sarcasm. Amitiel, on her part, only thought about strangling that green thing and those foxes no matter how cute or benevolent-looking they may seem.

"Well, if even she can summon one, you must be a coward to not even try!" Izumo shouted at Amitiel with an arrogant smile.

Amitiel noticed Izumo was referring to her and replied without thinking. Amitiel narrowed her eyes and looked aside sharply at Izumo, "tamers are for the weak, I would rather be a part of the fight—in the action, than watch my familiar do it for me." Izumo's lip twitched up and she grit her teeth at the angel's crude response.

Amitiel replied calmly instead, "to tell you the truth, I'm not a coward nor a bystander like you, Izumo."

Now Izumo couldn't hold back her boiling anger any longer. She took a step forward and was about to shout something sinister when she felt a soft, warm hand curl around her shoulder. Izumo stopped immediately. She spun her head around and met dark purple eyes—Paku's soft eyes. Izumo suddenly calmed down, her fiery red gaze cooled down until she wasn't furrowing her eyebrows anymore. Izumo looked down, feeling compunctious as her best friend's concerned gaze told her she had gone too far.

Amitiel didn't understand why Izumo suddenly dropped the arrogance the moment Paku rested her hand on her shoulder. She felt some sort of psychological bond between them—kinship between two unrelated strangers. They weren't sisters, but why would they seem so close as if related by blood?

Soon the argument had stopped when Neuhaus added, "it looks like we have quite a few tamer candidates this year. Tamers are highly valued by the Order since they are so rare. Again, it requires a strong spirit to handle demons, therefore, demons never obey a master weaker than themselves. If you are in a situation where you feel threatened by your Familiars, disrupting the circle will break the contract and send the demons to their dimension." Neuhaus placed his foot on the circle on the ground and slid it across, smudging the chalk. The Naberius vanished out of thin air with a gust of wind.

After Neuhaus concluded his demonstration, the bell rang.

"This concludes the lesson, class dismissed."

* * *

Shiemi stepped out of the class, upon entering the grand hall, she looked aside and found Izumo and Paku strolling away. Shiemi followed Izumo and Paku. She ran up towards Izumo as she shouted, "h-hey! Kamiki-san, wait!"

Paku was first to catch her call and glanced back. "Izumo-chan, she's calling for you," she spoke softly.

Izumo's nose wrinkled. "Ugh, just ignore her. She's so annoying," Izumo said in disgust as she continued to walk without stopping.

"Oi!" Shiemi called again. "Oi! Oi! Oi!" Shiemi repeated over and over, and each time only caused Izumo to cringe in annoyance.

"OI—!"

Izumo slammed her foot on the floor and spun around. "—Quit following me, will you?! Don't get all friendly with me just 'cause you summoned a familiar!" Izumo shouted in utter frustration.

Shiemi held her clenched hands close to her beating heart. Her cheeks began to flush again when Shiemi finally decided to summon all the courage she could get_. Today... I will say it...!_ Shiemi pushed herself way over her comfort zone, but she has to do it. She must make a friend. It has been too long since she spoke to people other than her mother and Yukio. But what would Izumo say? Shiemi was shivering so much she actually felt sick to her stomach. A part of her wanted to run away, flee from this place, but she was trying to hold back that tempting part of herself. What Shiemi feared most is Izumo's response. Would she accept it? Deny it? Shiemi would think of herself as a complete, useless failure if she couldn't make a single friend. With her grandma gone—her one, true friend—she knew she must move on.

"P-p-please!" Shiemi pleaded desperately. "B-be my f-friend!"

As soon as those words reached Izumo's ears, the annoyed look in her ruby eyes softened and her eyes displayed confusion. "What?" Izumo responded, open-mouthed. Shiemi deeply regretted saying what she had said.

"I-I've..." Shiemi stuttered. "...never had friends..."

Izumo looked at Shiemi with a neutral look, almost with a bit of empathy. Shiemi's green eyes glistened with tears, and she suddenly threw her head down to avoid the girls from seeing her cry. Izumo closed her eyes and took a moment to digest what the blonde had said. Izumo opened her eyes, which were bright and a smile spread across her face, "alright."

Shiemi's eyes snapped open and she gasped a little.

"From now on, we're friends!" Izumo exclaimed.

Shiemi looked back up at Izumo, who's face had a friendly smile. "huh?!" Shiemi was suddenly washed over with relief and utter euphoria. "O-oh, my first... My first friend!" Shiemi exclaimed gleefully to herself as she placed her hands on her cheeks, which were blushing a deep rose red. She did it. It happened, it really happened. All that anxiety simply melted off of Shiemi's mind.

"Here," Izumo said as she handed her new friend her school bag.

"Huh?" Shiemi said as she held the leather bag.

"Do you mind holding this for me? I'm not as strong so my arms get tired easily. You be a good friend and carry that, will you? Because friends help each other out, right?" Izumo spoke in sincerity.

_Friends... help each other_, Shiemi smiled sweetly. "Okay! I don't mind!"

Izumo swept her pigtails over her shoulders as she continued to make her way down the hall, with Shiemi on her tail. Paku's eyebrows curved up as she whispered beside Izumo, "Izumo-chan, I don't think you should..." But Paku stopped herself when Izumo cut her off.

"Don't worry, she wants to!" Izumo smiled in self-satisfaction. "Ah, that feels lovely!" Izumo said and she breathed out a sigh of relief, as she allowed her arms to swing freely beside her.

"The hell? Shiemi looks like _Chunky 'Brows'_ servant..." Rin witnessed Shiemi walk past them in the hall, with Izumo's bag in her hands. Surprisingly, she looked quite happy,

"Chunky 'Brows?" Konekomaru asked, quite confused at who Rin was referring to. "You mean Kamiki-san?"

"They're just fooling around..." Suguro added.

* * *

For the rest of the day, his mind couldn't distract himself from Shiemi and her newfound 'friend' Izumo Kamiki. Rin wasn't confident enough that Izumo really took Shiemi's request as sincere words, instead, he couldn't help but think that Izumo may be taking advantage of her. For the rest of the day, he had seen Shiemi follow Izumo around like a lost puppy. All Shiemi ever did was cling to Izumo, following around, taking orders from her without hesitating. What really pissed him off was that Shiemi didn't have the guts to just say no.

She must be that desperate, or just that innocent.

"Well, whatever, I know Shiemi's smart enough to know better..." Rin talked to himself as he made his way to the fountain he, Shiemi, and Yukio always met during lunch. But instead, it was only him at the fountain. Yukio must be too busy to even come out of the class and talk to him, like usual. For an honours student like Yukio, Rin kind of expected to rarely see his twin due to school. Damn school.

Rin jumped onto the fountain, the clear water shot out of the mouths of the gargoyle statues circling the fountain, then dripped quietly into the pool of water around the fountain, which felt cool and humid.

Rin breathed in the cold humid air around the damp fountain and pulled out a box of _bento_ from his school bag. He rested it on his laps, brought his hands together, and said, "_Itadakimasu_."

Rin then grabbed his chopsticks and began eating his food silently, while observing the other students walking past and in front of him. Rin stuffed some food into his right cheek and chewed while people were busy walking with their friends. If only he saw Shiemi walk with Izumo instead of _for_ Izumo, he wouldn't feel so worrisome.

Rin never really had any friends either, if he did make some friends, it would be ruined when he would lay his fist against their jaw. But seeing these people, completely normal and just... proud with friends, really did make him feel out of place. There were also other reasons, involving the fact that he's attending the cram school, which only showed he was part of a small population of people who knows about the existence of demons. That was definitely _not_ normal.

No wonder he never had any friends.

Suddenly, he remembered what he said in front of Shiemi to Suguro. In all honesty, Rin actually did consider her as a friend, but he was just... Confused. Does she see him as a friend? Did she feel hurt when he didn't say so? Rin did regret what he had said.

Rin shook his head and tried to clear it from everything. What he just wants to do is eat his lunch—that's it. Rin tried to force a smile as he crammed his mouth with food.

"No... I haven't found him yet..."

Rin looked around himself when he heard a voice speak. It was feminine, and it sounded close by. Rin suddenly curved his eyebrows down when he looked behind the fountain and spotted a wad of wavy blond hair peeking out from the side of the fountain.

Rin almost choked on his chewed up food as he quickly turned his head back and pretended he hasn't seen anything. Rin breathed as he tried to act like a sane, normal person and he shoved a large bite of food into his mouth, then chewed slowly while maintaining his attention straight ahead. The fact that he was alone with her, on the same fountain, really made him feel awkward.

"I know you're there, Rin," Amitiel called from across to the other side of the fountain. Rin swallowed his food halfway, then suddenly started to cough hysterically. Amitiel still sat composedly and ate a small piece of food from her _bento_ as Rin was basically dying on the other side with his food stuck in his throat. Rin cleared his throat loudly then swallowed the rest of his food, and he took a breath.

"Y-you scared the living hell out of me!" Rin panted.

"I just told you I knew you were there, what did I do that was so frightening?" Amitiel asked.

Rin wrinkled his nose then straightened himself up. "Uh, you kinda knew I was here without even looking," Rin frowned.

"I heard you eat, that was why I knew. You eat like an animal," Amitiel remarked. Rin did not object. He had to admit he was sort of a loud eater.

"...Oh," Rin said. "I thought you were some psychic or something."

Amitiel didn't answer. She only returned to eating her lunch. After some silence, Rin decided he might as well return to his lunch, but before, he decided to ask,  
"what are you doing here?"

Rin didn't receive a response from the other side. He waited a little longer until he looked back, and he still saw her blond waves, but she was quiet.

Rin suddenly found himself picking up his _bento_ and turned around to walk to the other side of the fountain. Beside Amitiel was an empty _bento_ box, but what confused him was that she had her legs crossed and her eyes were closed, as if she was meditating.

"...why are you sitting near me?" Amitiel asked with eyes still closed when Rin sat down, but not too close.

Rin looked straight at her, then looked away. "I'd be rude if I didn't, besides... you look like a loner. If you want me to leave I—"

"It's okay, I actually don't mind your presence," Amitiel responded while still in her meditating trance.

"What are you doing?" Rin asked suddenly, seeing as she was doing something.

"I'm concentrating for something," Amitiel said.

"Something?" Rin cocked an eyebrow.

"A certain thing" was all Amitiel said.

"Okay, that's pretty vague."

Amitiel opened her eyes slowly, her eyes were so dark and her lids were almost closed it looked as if her whole eye was black. She looked straight up ahead of her, more people in uniforms strolled by.

"... I like to people-watch. That was almost what I was doing," Amitiel said. All she ever did was feeling the souls around her. All of them looked like balls of bright, white light, and she could feel their energy giving off of them, that was how she can sense things from a distance. Human souls were something she considered very beautiful; they were delicate but powerful balls of light that flow within a body. No human soul could ever be destroyed, since energy isn't mass. Unlike humans, angels have different types of souls, except they aren't even souls. Amitiel would basically look like a wisp of light energy, excluding the body she dwelled inside.

She looked at Rin and she saw the same, human glow given from his soul.

"Huh? People-watch?" Rin raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in topic.

"It's... interesting if you actually do it. I see something far more important in people, Rin." Amitiel responded. Sometimes that important part of some humans were quite dark. Those who were considered criminals, or humans that had dark intentions, still produced the same pure, white glow, however, Amitiel could feel a menacing aura emitting off those people.

"Well, I don't do it. And I sure as hell can't see what you're seeing," Rin stuffed a chopstick full of food in his mouth. Amitiel knew Rin couldn't quite understand what she would mean. He was human, after all.

"I always wonder what humans think, what's going on inside their heads. I... I always see the same thing on their faces everywhere they go." Amitiel spoke while observing the students.

Rin swallowed. "Yeah? And what's that?"

"Pain. I always see it, in every one of their eyes... all I see is pain. I always try to see if a human is actually happy, for living here, in Assiah... but I didn't," Amitiel spoke, without a sign of disappointment in her voice, almost as if she expected to see pain in a human's eyes. In all honesty, Amitiel didn't quite understand what pain was at first, but all she knew from Raziel was that it was one of the scariest feelings to a human soul. Pain changes a person entirely, including their soul. Amitiel saw a pattern in everybody's soul, all indicating some form of pain, but she didn't quite know specifically the situation that caused that terrible feeling.

"You're so... eccentric sometimes," Rin frowned intensely at the angel. As soon as Amitiel heard what he said and looked into his eyes, she saw the same pattern in his soul.

"I know you're in pain, too."

"Ha! Your wrong," Rin smirked and waved his hand away.

"You're lying, Rin. I see it in your eyes. Everyone suffered some sort of pain, you all have. Why do you deny it? Did it change your life or something?" The dark, hollow look in her eyes forced Rin to shut up and gulp.

Rin's smirk died away and he only looked down, he lowered his chopsticks in his fingers, which had some food in it. Rin swallowed a painful lump in his throat as he remained silent. Amitiel observed him quietly, understanding that he simply just didn't want to talk about it.

Soon Amitiel's gaze wavered to Rin's sword. It was wrapped in an elegant red case with fancy patterns of stencil flowers in metallic gold colour. Aside from the beautiful design of the case, Amitiel felt the darkest aura of power coming directly from that sword, but also the sword's aura itself. Her senses were literally tingling.

"Ah, this is nice to see."

Amitiel and Rin both focused on Yukio, who stood in front of them holding a briefcase in one hand. Rin almost flipped over and fell into the fountain. He jumped off the fountain and pointed his index dangerously a Yukio.

"Damn it! I was waiting for ya! What the hell took you so long?!" Rin yelled.

"Pardon me, Nii-san, it's just paperwork—another exorcism I got from the Director after class," Yukio smiled apologetically.

Rin's face softened, "oh, what's it about?"

"It's confidential, unfortunately." Yukio smiled. "By the way, I'm glad you and Tanaka-san are getting along."

"We...We weren't getting along! We were just... talking, that's all," Rin bit his lip and looked away.

"Well, it's better than quarreling with a knife and fist," Yukio beamed, and Rin and Amitiel exchanged quick glances at each other.

As soon as Yukio sat down beside his twin and pulled out his own lunch, Amitiel got up.

"I guess I'll leave you two be. I must do something, anyways," Amitiel said then turned around to walk away, but turned her head back and added, "you really need to stop lying to yourself, Rin."

Rin gulped and remained silent with food in his mouth, as he watched Amitiel walk away and enter the academy.

* * *

"For the rest of the week until your upcoming exam, I have organized some preparation booklets for you to practice. However, it is your responsibility to know the concepts. I will also test you for your competence in Latin for your written part of the exam," Raziel announced as he passed the booklets to Izumo. Izumo accepted them then stood up to pass them around.

Instead, Izumo walked over towards Shiemi. And, with the same, glowing smile on her face, Shiemi watched in anticipation as Izumo approached her.

"Can you pass these out for me?" Izumo asked as she handed the papers to Shiemi.

"Sure thing!" Shiemi replied immediately then stood up and passed around the sheets. Rin gave Izumo a scornful glare, but she merely ignored it and returned to her seat. She almost reminded Rin about Hana. Both of them seem so... Apathetic.

Raziel reached over to a nearby shelf and gathered some old, dusty Bibles that probably haven't been touched for decades. Shiemi ran up towards him to collect them. Rin seriously thought Raziel had grown in height again. Compared to Shiemi, he was a _giant_. He seemed to be close to Mephisto's height.

Rin actually felt deeply intimidated by Raziel, both in height and by persona.

Shiemi walked over, who had loads of Bibles piled up on her arms like a mountain, and passed one to Rin. Suddenly, Shiemi's grip slipped and the Bible escaped out of Shiemi's hand. She gasped and tried to catch it, only to move so quickly Shiemi lost her balance and all the Bibles in her arms tumbled over and splattered all over the tiled floor. Rin stared in shock, and suddenly Shiemi dropped to her knees and quickly picked up all the Bibles. A deep, colourful red blossomed on her cheeks. Everyone was staring at Shiemi now, awaiting to receive their books. Izumo smiled sinisterly, but only very secretly. Rin, unfortunately, saw that vicious smirk of hers, and he immediately knelt down and joined Shiemi. He piled up the books on his desk.

"R-Rin...! I-I'm so s-sorry!" Shiemi stuttered as she bowed her head down, sinking her head in her shoulders.

"It's fine, Shiemi. I'll help you. That's what _real_ friends do, right?" Rin eyed her with a smirk.

Shiemi remained silent, mostly from a mixture of confusion and shock.

Shiemi took the rest of the Bibles and passed them to the rest of the students. _Did... did Rin just call me a friend?_ Shiemi's heart jumped. She returned to her seat and laid the last Bible in front of Rin.

As soon as Rin saw it—this ancient, holy book—his heart jumped to the point he felt sick to his stomach. Melancholy overwhelmed the teen as the book stood staring at him. He took it and smoothed the cover with his warm, clammy thumbs. The gritty texture left some dust residue on his thumbs, as well as the scent of ancient paper.

Rin stared straight at it, without opening it or even setting it down. Rin had remembered it clearly, that moment in his childhood when his father first read him the Bible. He was at least 4 years old, at least, but he remembered it. It was vivid, and the passage his father had quoted to him and Yukio before bedtime replayed in his mind. Just the mere voice of his, the gentle, wise voice of his father, soothed Rin. It was about angels, Rin was sure of that. His father was quite fond of angels, even though he had never seen one in his lifetime, but his father had faith as strong as his will to believe in the impossible.

Rin's father had told him that angels are protectors of God, who watch over and care for humanity. He even mentioned them being soldiers of God, who, at this very moment, are constantly battling the demons around them, even the ones we have in our hearts.

But guess what? They're doing a piss-poor job at that. Since Rin could see demons, he clearly hasn't seen any angels battling the demons around him. He didn't see any sign of angels anywhere, so the question is—do they really exist? Nevertheless, that question was easily answered when his father had died a brutal death by Satan.

Amitiel watched as Rin stared at the book, but for some reason, there was pain on his face. His mouth looked almost open like it was about to reveal him grit his teeth. Suddenly, Amitiel heard a smack when Rin closed the book in fury. He crossed his arms and he sneered with a mixture of pain in his eyes.

Suddenly, Rin and Amitiel both snapped out of their mini trances and realized another lesson had already started. This one in this unit was quite interesting since it extended a bit beyond demons.

"... As you may know, the _Archangel Raziel_ is one of the most intelligent angels of Heaven, possessing undiscovered knowledge and secrets of the universe, hence he is commonly referred to as the _Angel of Mysteries_ or _Secrets_. Some secrets of Raziel have been discovered by humanity, yet some remain unknown. Only the Creator can command him to reveal these "secrets" to humankind. One example is the secrets to life through his book titled the _Book of Raziel_, which is what you have read last unit. He gave this book to Adam and Eve after their banishment from the _Garden of Eden _to teach them the right ways of living so that they may come back to enlightenment—"

"Raziel dropped his own book in the ocean, how is that a sign of great intelligence?" Izumo raised an eyebrow, clearly questioning Raziel's intelligence.

"... Intelligence is achieved through mistakes, do you agree? The book was found again, so this mistake is _not_ to be taken into consideration," Raziel responded sternly, his eyebrow twitched violently as he frowned intensely. "We have all made mistakes."

"Wow, it seemed like it was a personal attack on Tanaka-sensei," Shima remarked.

Raziel cleared his throat. "Now! Continuing on with the lesson..."

* * *

It was hopeless, no matter how hard he stared at it, his brain just didn't want to participate anymore—like usual. It had only been 10 minutes, and already Rin couldn't look at it any longer without getting a headache. Every single time he studied, his mind was always occupied by something else he considered far more important, such as finishing reading his favourite manga, especially after he just bought the newest volume last week. Patience and dedication is something Rin gravely lacked in school. If only he had photographic memory, his life would be so much easier when it comes to studying.

He could never be as hard-working as Yukio, not a chance in hell can he be smarter than anybody.

"Argh, dammit, I don't get this..." Rin sighed in irritation as he dropped his hands holding a book and let it hit the grassy ground. At least school was over for the day. Rin could relax instead of trying.

Rin puffed out some air and he began to shove all his books in his shoulder bag. He was laying under a tree shading a portion of the ground around it with its thick, green leaves. He was in one of the courtyards of True Cross Academy, which was barricaded by tall brick walls. Around the court was paved sidewalks as well as a few benches installed on the grass. There were also some round tables, but they were always taken by the students before Rin could have a chance.

Rin heard the leaves above him rustle vigorously when he felt a sudden gush of wind. Rin felt the papers in his hands rattle from the wind. He held them tight and shoved them directly into his bag.

Suddenly the wind dissipated when a voice called from behind him, "Rin."

Rin whirled around in surprise and shouted, "HOLY SH—!" Rin stopped and his mouth formed an 'o'. His surprised face turned into an unamused frown at the sight of the presence in front of him, "...Oh... It's you."

Amitiel tilted her head aside. Her hair was brought up into a high pony tail, and she was carrying a small academy bag.

"What are you doing?" She observed the books around him.

"I'm trying to do homework, what does it look like?" Rin grabbed a book and opened it. He grabbed a pencil and tried to finish where he left off, even though he hasn't gotten quite far ahead yet.

Amitiel bent down and leaned forward over his shoulder, observing his fingers direct the pencil across the paper. His writing wasn't very ornate, in fact, it was very sloppy to the point she could barely read it.

"... Um, that's wrong," Amitiel suddenly said as she reached over and pointed at something Rin wrote.

"What?" Rin looked aside and jolted since her head was basically close to his.

"It's actually called the Penta_teuch_, not Penta_tock_, then the Historical Books or the _Nevi'im_, the Wisdom Books or the _Ketuvim_, and the Prophetical Books are the 4 major divisions of the _Old Testament_. The _New Testament_ is composed of the _Gospels_, the _A__cts of the Apostles_, the _Epistles_, and then _Revelation_," Amitiel explained fluently. Rin's mouth dropped and he had trouble closing it back up.

After Rin managed to regain control of his drooping jaw, he noted ,"... wow, for an airhead like you, you sure are smart."

"I've studied it for thousands of years," Amitiel simply put.

Rin chuckled at her exaggeration, "oh yeah, sure."

"I wouldn't lie."

"Yah, sure. But...Why are you helping me?" Rin raised his eyebrow, feeling a little suspicious.

"Consider this as my apology," Amitiel straightened herself up. "I don't really know how to earn your forgiveness but... it's okay if you dislike me. I really don't care."

Rin's eyebrows flew up. He was shocked, the way she simply said it without regret. Instead she mainly accepted his feelings towards her, even if they were harsh.

Rin remained silent, and slowly all his hate for her seemed to wash away. She's the most honest person he had ever met, and it scared him a little, to have the guts to say everything so honestly and truthfully, even if it pains other people.

"I... I-I don't dislike you... I forgive you actually," Rin replied.

Amitiel closed her eyes and bowed her head down in a sign of gratitude, "thank you."

Rin noticed that, despite her blunt honesty, she was actually quite a polite person.

"Mind if I sit?" Amitiel stood beside Rin and waited for his response before she could sit down on the grass.

"Huh?... Um..." Rin mumbled, mostly because his concentration was between her and the book.

"If you mind, I wouldn't, I'll go somewhere else," Amitiel added.

Rin puffed his cheeks and breathed out a large exhale. "Actually, I don't mind at all. Just... can you help me with this whole Bible stuff? Or basically anything?" Rin looked up to her, he looked away when his eyes met her hollow brown ones, he also noticed her pupils were small.

"Not a problem," Amitiel set herself down on the grass. She brought her knees up and rested her arms over them. "Would you like me to go over the lessons you haven't attended?"

"And by that, you would mean all of them," Rin chuckled. Amitiel tried to mimic what he was doing, she knew what he was doing was smiling, but to her it was odd, perhaps because she's never felt that feeling Rin may be experiencing right now.

"Hey... are we actually gonna start a normal conversation?" Rin looked at Amitiel again, this time he bravely stared straight into the large depths of darkness. Amitiel, on her part, noticed how vividly blue his eyes were. It was deep and vibrant, almost like she was staring straight into the deep waters in the sea.

Also like the colour of Satan's flames.

* * *

**A/N: Longest chapter ever /dead**

**Chapters aren't going to be this long, it's just I couldn't figure out a way of separating the content in this chapter into two.**

**Well, since school is starting soon, I might not have as much time as I used to have, so my schedule would be updating every 3 weeks, or even monthly. Sorry if I'm making you suffer for waiting ^_^''**

**On the side note, reviews are always welcome, even favourites and follows, it just shows that people are actually interested in my story! So keep it up! :)**

**My DeviantART account is Crescenti-C if you wanna check out my art or see how my oc looks like**

**PS: Angels never refer to God as, well, "god". Raziel, Amitiel and all the angels refer to it as the Creator (its also a universal title to describe the god-like presence in many religions). Angels see the Creator as the universe itself, because Angels are very spiritual beings and can understand the universe as one living organism.**


	9. Chapter 8: Amends

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 8: Amends**_

* * *

**Sunlight poured down from the long window on the creaking wooden floor in Rin and Yukio's dorm.** It was absolutely silent, except for the sound of covers shuffling and the distant morning cry of the birds outside. Dust floated within the air around the sunlight, which were flying around like tiny Coal Tars. A weak moan was released from Rin's mouth, which sounded muffled since his whole face was buried in his thick pillow. The covers always made their way to the other side of his bed, which were only covering Rin's feet. He always had a ridiculously high body temperature, so he would unconsciously wiggle himself out from the covers. Yukio still didn't understand why his twin just wouldn't sleep without covers. Rin's hands clutched his pillow from underneath it and he let out a long, quiet yawn. Rin swallowed loudly and peeked his eye just above the pillow to gaze aside at the clock sitting on his bedside table. It took a few seconds for his eyes to wake up and focus.

What the time showed provoked Rin to scream as he bolted out of his bed, rushed out of his clothes, and jumped into his uniform. "CRAP! I OVERSLEPT!" Rin still had his white shirt unbuttoned and his tie hung loosely in a loop around his neck. Rin noticed his brother's empty bed across from his bed. The blankets were neatly folded, and even the pillow was positioned without any wrinkles in the fabric. Rin slipped into his black overcoat of his uniform, fixed the folds on the front, and ran to the door. To his dismay, Rin ran his head against the doorway instead. Poor Rin cried out in pain and tumbled over onto the floor. Rin screeched painfully and placed his hands on his head. A pounding sensation pulsated in his head and Rin felt a headache coming. He shook his head to ignore the impending pain and ran out of the dorm as he grabbed his bag from the floor. Rin slammed the door and ran like hell down the stairs, sliding down the railways and scurried into the kitchen for a quick meal. Screw brushing his teeth and his hair.

"YUKIO! WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP!?" Rin screamed at his brother, who was sitting at the table calmly eating his breakfast.

"I did actually, to be honest, but you tried to kick me," Yukio responded civilly. "So I left you to sleep since you insisted."

"Well, you can at least kick me back!" Rin argued, but stopped. "Oh wait never mind, you might break your leg—"

Rin stopped when he realized someone else was gone. Rin looked around himself and into the kitchen, but it seemed he and his twin were the only ones in the dorm.

"Where's Hana?" Rin called.

What Rin asked raised Yukio's eyebrows. "Oh, you seem quite interested," Yukio teased with a smirk. Rin blushed intensely as he protested, "I ain't interested! I just wanted to know!"

"She left for the cafeteria, she said," Yukio responded.

Rin nodded and stalked into the kitchen and grabbed a box of bento. He bolted out and ran down the hall towards the entrance. Yukio shook his head and chuckled as he ate alone in the silent, abandoned dorm.

* * *

Rin cursed when he forgot to grab a snack to eat, but it was too late. Rin had just arrived inside the Academy. He was making his way towards his classes, and thankfully, Rin wasn't quite as late as he expected, but he didn't really have a lot of time left to eat. Rin moaned, he could never survive through class on an empty stomach, nevertheless, he can never survive class anyways. Rin felt his stomach growl like a bear and felt his stomach vibrate. Rin could never ignore his stomach, perhaps because he just loves food in general. He always cooked dinner back at the monastery for his father and brother, so Rin always cooked something as a snack, but since he was no longer there, and he never had the free time to cook—it just seemed impossible.

Rin remembered Mephisto would give him an allowance to pay for his food. It was low, at 10000¥, but it was enough for 5 meals — each month. The food here was so expensive Rin was scared just to touch the food and mess it up. Yukio was put out of the question when it comes to paying for food, unless Rin begged loudly and dropped on his knees while clinging to Yukio, that is. Sometimes Rin cursed at Yukio for having an actual job and money.

Rin stepped into the large expanse called the cafeteria. It was larger than the size of a school gymnasium, except the floors were polished wood, and the tall walls were painted a deep, royal red. The long windows had the majestic white drapes that probably costed more than his own house. Rin could see the bright green trees and clear blue sky through the sparkling clear windows, which were probably washed multiple times a day. Beside the windows there were large, ivory-colored arches stretching up to the ceiling. The morning sunlight peered into the window and casted on the floor. In a row on the ceiling, large, crystal chandeliers hung, which were casting a brilliant gold light that reflected off the crystals towards the ground. There were many rows of long tables arranged on both ends of the cafeteria, with many vending machines holding plates of food in the middle.

Rin walked over to one of the machines. He approached one and noticed a familiar head of wavy blond hair. Hana. Rin walked over closer towards her, his hands were in his pockets and he could tell Hana was reaching into her own pockets in her pastel yellow overcoat.

"Hey!" Rin exclaimed.

"Oh... Rin," Amitiel didn't turn back to him.

"Um, do you need help?" Rin raised an eyebrow as he peeked over her shoulder.

"No. I seem to be low on money," Amitiel replied as she tried to count some coins she had in her pockets. Rin looked down when he heard Amitiel's stomach growl, suddenly his joined in.

Although she wasn't well-liked by Rin, the fact that he almost didn't want to help her made him feel like a cruel person. It would be cruel of him if he took away the essential need to eat. His father always made him appreciate the good food he receives and to help those spend the day satisfied, even if it means pouring in some yen.

"Um, here. Use this," Rin said and pulled out a bill from his pocket.

"That's your money, Rin. I don't need it. I can go somewhere else," Amitiel looked aside with a serious look.

"No, here. I mean it. I wouldn't just give it for nothing," Rin gestured the bill in her face. Amitiel turned around and reluctantly accepted his offering. "Consider it as my apology."

Amitiel stared back at him, then looked down at the bill in her hand. "No, I've been disrespectful. I do not deserve this." Amitiel moved her hand with the money back towards its owner.

Rin stopped her hand, "I'm serious. I shouldn't have grabbed you like that."

Amitiel sighed and withdrew her hand towards her. She couldn't quite make out what to say next, she never expected this kid to apologize. Rin deeply puzzled Amitiel, how can a foul-mouthed, immature being also become an apologetic, respectful individual?

Amitiel looked at it tentatively and bowed, "thank you."

Amitiel placed the bill in the machine's socket and pressed a button. The vending machine's door clicked open, and Amitiel was able to open the door and grabbed a plate of fluffy, buttermilk pancakes with fruit drizzled in maple syrup imported from Canada.

"Hey, I wanted the same thing!" Rin exclaimed, feeling a little regretful for giving her his money.

"Really? Here." Amitiel passed the tray over.

"No, keep it." Rin placed his palms up.

_How about we_... Amitiel thought. "Share?" It took a moment for Amitiel to realize she finished her sentence out loud.

"Huh?"

"I-I mean... We can share—if you like." Amitiel furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"U-uh... sure!" Rin raised his shoulders with a blush running across his cheeks. Honestly, of all people, Hana was the very last person on his mind that would have a heart to share something with him — or did she have a heart to start with? What she said actually startled him speechless.

Amitiel and Rin followed each other towards the end of an empty table. They sat across each other, without another word coming out of their mouths. Amitiel silently cut a small piece of pancake with her fork and placed it in her mouth. Rin, still hesitant, stared at the succulent, fluffy pancakes in front of him. Despite their tempting smell, Rin felt a little deceived. Is this some way to trick him or something? No matter what, Rin felt suspicious of her.

"Eat," Amitiel commanded.

"Okay," Rin said.

Rin swallowed hard and picked up the fork, cut out a piece of pancake, and ate it. Rin's mouth filled with saliva and syrup and he closed his eyes, savouring the sweet taste of buttermilk, strawberries, and sugary syrup swirling in his mouth.

Rin felt heat running up the surface of his cheeks after he shoved several bites in his mouth, realizing he might look like a moron who hasn't eaten in days. However, he saw her face remained untouched from the same pink blush, or from any disgust in his table manners. There weren't any signs of emotion.

At least he didn't have to worry about being judged by her. Just the thought about that made Rin feel relieved. _Really relieved_. Rin wondered how she would see him when he reveals his deepest, darkest secret. Suddenly because of the thought, Rin started to think of something else, and was about to say something but kept his mouth shut. He had to remember that this girl in front of him, eating the same pancakes on the same plate, was the daughter of a high-ranking exorcist, and for some reason, he felt a sharp chill run across his arms and body, raising his hairs to the tip. Rin lowered his head and decided to avoid eye contact.

After a short moment of eating in silence, Amitiel and Rin returned the tray to the cafeteria and they walked back towards their classes. By the time they arrived to class, the bell rang.

* * *

After regular classes, the cram school students attended their exorcism classes. In Religious Education, the instructor reviewed the types of religion that existed across the globe, as well as discuss the branches of religion that have evolved over centuries. All this was brand new knowledge to Rin since he hasn't paid attention during the lessons in the past. Everyone seemed to understand it clearly, except for Rin. Amitiel had to explain the concepts to Rin, who only nodded his head and pretended that he understood everything.

"Rin, it's religion," Amitiel sighed. "We're not studying some undiscovered phenomenon here," Amitiel had said after reviews. She was sitting beside Rin now. He had invited her over so many times for help that she decided to change her seating arrangement and sit beside Rin. Shiemi was on his other side.

Rin sighed intensely and rested his head on his desk, "it sure seems like it."

Amitiel noticed Rin wasn't quite the studious type, the more she knew the twins, the more she could see how much their personalities contrasted from each other. Unlike Yukio, Rin wasn't the brightest student in the school. He just seemed so unmotivated, but why?

One reason for his attention deficit problem in class was the fact that he was so distracted by Shiemi's situation. Izumo continued to throw more errands around her, forcing her to run across the school and back just to get her fruit milk or some supplies for class. What really bothered Rin was Shiemi was willingly obeying her without hesitation, despite Paku insisted she can disagree.

"What the hell? Is she serious?" Rin said as he carefully observed Shiemi obey Izumo like her personal servant. It was during their small class break that Rin looked at Amitiel with expectation, who was standing beside his desk while Izumo bossed Shiemi around.

"...What?" Amitiel said, realizing his eyes were on her.

"Don't you think Shiemi's blind?"

"No, I'm sure she has perfect vision." Amitiel furrowed her eyebrows at Rin's odd question. Rin tried to digest her literal response.

"I'm talking about how Chunky-Brows treats her. She hasn't even noticed it yet," Rin grumbled with an annoyed frown upon his face. He rested his head on his crossed arms on the desk.

"...What do you want me to do?" Amitiel noticed he was implying something. Rin bit his lip and felt a sinking feeling in his chest.

"Are you serious?" Rin looked back at Amitiel. "Who's more stupid? You or me?"

"What did I do?" Amitiel crossed her arms firmly.

"Stop her or something!" Rin commanded. If she's as blunt and honest as she acts, she wouldn't hesitate to speak up according to him.

Amitiel sighed and turned her attention towards Izumo across the room. Amitiel raised her voice while maintaining a civil tone, "Kamiki-san, stop treating Moriyama-san like your human slave. She has rights and freedoms." Amitiel shouted across the room with so much seriousness Rin and the Kyoto trio all covered their mouths. She spoke as if she was having a normal conversation in the most erratic way possible.

Shiemi lifted her head up when she heard her name was called, "yes?"

"Ugh, she's so annoying…" Izumo muttered under her breath in utter annoyance. She began to dislike Hana just as much as Shiemi. Rin face palmed.

* * *

After school, Rin was planning on hanging out with Shiemi, but she insisted she must help her new "friend". Of course, Rin couldn't object. He could never hurt Shiemi with the truth about Izumo's true intentions, but at the same time — would it hurt worse if he kept his mouth shut? At this moment, Rin didn't know anything else to do, he only hoped Shiemi could have some sense in her and recognize Izumo's deceitful friendship with her.

Apparently, the Kyoto trio and Hana were having a study session in the library. School had ended and the pages had finished their exorcism classes, so Rin didn't quite know how to spend the rest of the night, especially when Yukio was out for another exorcism case. Rin always begged Yukio to take him to one of his missions, but according to the Order, it was forbidden for an amateur like Rin to attend a real exorcism. Rin believed he went through enough hell already, and he wasn't as weak as they think.

Since Rin couldn't accompany Yukio, Rin urged himself to join up with the Kyoto trio and Hana. What else is there to do?

Rin made his way down a hall. It was one of the grand halls, which were basically walls of long, clear windows with chandeliers trailing on the ceiling across the hallway. Through these windows, the whole cityscape of Tokyo could be seen. The sky was a deep, royal blue empty from clouds, and the lights from the buildings illuminated into the dark night sky. Despite its still look, the city was thriving with life.

Rin looked aside to the row of doors on the walls of the grand hall and observed them, until he recognized one of the doors and stood in front of a set of double doors. The doors were made of polished, golden wood, carved delicately into an intricate design on the surface. Rin opened the doors and stepped inside into the library. The flooring was red velvet carpet, which looked bright and new despite its possible age. The walls were filled by towers of dark wooden shelves filled with books. There were even grand, winding stairs leading up towards the second floor, with another leading to the third floor. The steps were polished stone, and Rin was actually cautious about laying a scratch to the precious stone. Rin gazed around at the marvellous sighting. He was so astounded he actually made a loud, awe-inspired 'wow', and the librarian shushed him nearby.

Rin bit at his cheeks in his mouth, scanning the quiet library for the study session taking place. Rin made out a small group sitting at a lounge station, below the second floor with stairs leading down beside the lounge. Suguro, Shima, Konekomaru, and Hana were quietly resting on the soft, leather couches. A wall had a fireplace. The wood glowed as flames licked the surface of the bark. There was even a painting of _Johann Faust V_ hanging up above the fireplace. Hana's legs were folded on top of each other and she held a book in her hands. Her hair was wound up into a loose pony tail. Suguro had a clip in his hair, which was pinning back his large golden locks away from his rough gaze on the book in his hands. Shima, surprisingly, was also reading a book, but he seemed to have a twisted grin on his face as if he was reading something entertaining.

Konekomaru was first to notice Rin's appearance.

"Oh, Okumura-kun!" Konekomaru's eyes lit up. "Would you care to join us?"

Suguro's concentration wavered from his book to Rin's bored stare. He grit his teeth and snarled, "what the hell are you doing here? Can't you see I actually care about my life?!"

"Hey! You don't _have_ to be smart in order to be rich, okay?!" Rin protested.

"This isn't about wealth, dumbass," Suguro sneered viciously. "This is about _survival_."

"Well, that's—" Rin couldn't go on. It was so true what Suguro said.

"Bon's quite right, I mean, you can at least try to study, Okumura-kun," Konekomaru suggested as he pointed at a stack of books on the glass coffee table in the centre of the lounge.

Shima jumped in. "Right on, Koneko! You should try it sometime!"

"Yah, over my dead body," Rin snorted.

"Want me to make that happen?" Suguro raised a thick eyebrow.

"Sit down now."

Rin shuddered when Hana spoke at last. Her command forced him to drop onto the long leather couch Shima was on. Rin rested his body against the couch and replied with hands raised up, "okay, okay! I'm down."

"Here, do you know what this is called?" Suguro tossed a book at Rin, and he caught it just in time before it smacked his face. It took a moment for Rin to realize it was a children's book about Noah's Ark.

"Shut up! I ain't _that_ stupid!" Rin screamed, and the librarian shushed him again. Rin's cry echoed across the empty, quiet library.

"You sure?" Suguro jeered.

"Y'know what, give that thing to me! I'll show ya!" Rin snatched Suguro's book, and continued where he left off.

"From the beginning there were two types of fol... follo-follership. Folwership. Folloswership?" Rin doubled his concentration by squinting his eyes. "What the hell? It's like I'm freakin' reading Latin here!"

"It's pronounced "followership"," Ryuji corrected.

"Okay, I got this," Rin read over some lines, he still had 200 pages left to go. Rin's thought process seemed to be slower than a snail, he read the lines so slowly and poorly Suguro tried to repress his anger. Just listening to Rin read would make Suguro's ears bleed. Rin stopped when he heard a forced chuckle nearby. Everyone had their attention on Shima now, who was staring at the book with so much amusement, it bothered Suguro.

"Hey, this stuff ain't _that_ amusing!" Suguro commented. "Exorcism isn't funny, it's serious!"

Shima's stomach flipped and he stopped, "sorry! Sorry! I was studying!"

"Oh really? Studying what?" Asked Ryuji.

"Oh... It's nothing," Shima chuckled.

"What the hell are you reading!?" Suguro stalked across the little study group and ripped the book out of Shima's grip. Suddenly, a magazine fell out of the pages. It glided in the air and landed face-up on the red carpet.

Shima smiled sheepishly, "oops."

Suguro picked it up and the picture of a big-breasted model in an exotic, revealing police costume implied exactly what he thought Shima was reading.

"What the hell are you doing looking at porn—in a HOLY PLACE?!" Suguro held the magazine towards Shima and the others stared at him as if he went mental.

"What?" Shima questioned innocently. "I was studying... Very intensely."

Suguro threw the magazine at Shima. "Control your hormones, goddammit!"

"What, I'm sure Hana-san won't mind, eh?" Shima winked at Amitiel, imagining her in that revealing costume the model on the front cover was wearing.

Amitiel's reaction was bland but deadly. Her eyes laid a fierce glare directly on Shima, and suddenly he recoiled as he realized he may have angered a demon. Rin shivered at how monotone her look was, but it felt so menacing.

"T-that was scarier t-than S-Satan..." Shima smiled nervously.

"Well, I guess that wraps things up." Suguro stood up and cracked his fingers while raising them in the air, stretching his body.

"Wow, I worked my ass off today," Rin added sarcastically. "That's enough for the year."

"No, you didn't," Amitiel added sharply without catching Rin's sarcasm. "You barely even read a sentence."

Rin chuckled dryly, "I was kidding."

Rin waited while the group gathered their belongings, returned some books to the librarian, and made their way to the grand hall. They left the library and made their way back towards the main hall, which was quiet with the buzzing sound of electricity from the lighting. The sky was dark and black, however, the halls looked golden with their chandeliers and wall lights casting a golden yellow glow around them. Once the group stopped down the main hall, it was time for the Kyoto trio to part ways from Rin and Amitiel. Rin waved at the trio and they walked down another hall leading towards their dorms.

"See ya, Bon!" Rin waved with a smile.

Suguro couldn't help but chuckle without looking back at Rin's idiotic smile, "see ya, dumbass."

After the trio was out of sight, Rin felt a fuzzy feeling in his stomach. He was alone, again, with Hana. Amitiel huffed and spun around towards the hall that would lead her towards her dorm. It took a moment for Rin to realize she was no longer beside him before he could ask something.

"Huh? Hey!" Rin shouted and charged up beside her. "Slow down, were going in the same direction, aren't we?"

"I would like to get some rest," Amitiel said simply. "On your part, you should really start studying."

Rin exhaled in exasperation. Suddenly an idea popped in his head, but he was afraid to say it. He was afraid how she might respond.

"Well," Rin started, "Since Suguro will kill me before I could even start, I wanna ask if you could..." Rin paused a moment as he tensed up. "... Study with me?"

"What?" Amitiel stopped walking.

Rin jerked back, as if she was about to murder him on the spot with her blade. "I-I don't know what to do! I-I can never convince myself to sit on a goddamn desk and look at books!" Rin covered his face with his hands in an act of defense.

"You are so unmotivated, aren't you?" Amitiel responded. "How can you be an exorcist if you lack the discipline?"

"Believe me, nothing motivates me more than becoming an exorcist. It's... I need to be one. It's just—" Rin stopped himself and looked away. He didn't want to explain to her his own reasons of becoming an exorcist—she may not even care from the start, in fact, no one would want to hear his story. It involved death. Lots of death.

"P-please study with me, you seem smart so..." Rin trailed away. Rin looked around himself unsteadily. He glanced over at the windows covering the walls, and then at the polished stone flooring, radiating the gold light from the chandeliers above him.

It took a moment for Amitiel to respond after much thought. She began to believe this boy really did have the motivation to be an exorcist, something about the way he looked at her signalled fear in his eyes. Could something have happened to him which forced him to want to become an exorcist? He seemed to want it so badly.

"Well, you'll have to commit yourself to actually study, but if you want to... I'm fine with it," Amitiel finally responded.

Rin's eyes lit up like stars in the blue night sky. "Really?" Rin gasped, overcome by happiness. "Thank you so much! I don't think I can commit myself to this but... As long as you help me, I should survive this." Rin nodded to himself and scratched the back of his head with an awkward smirk.

"Okay," Amitiel simply said.

"Okay, um... How about my dorm? It's quiet there so..." Rin trailed away again. He swore he was going to slap himself if he kept on doing that.

"—and I also live in the same building," Amitiel finished.

"R-right!" Rin formed a goofy smile. "So... I'll meet you tomorrow at 6:00pm, alright?"

Amitiel and Rin both walked towards their dorms, without another word spoken. To Rin, he seemed uneasy about the awkward silence, but to Amitiel, she hoped things could stay quiet for the rest of the night. Everything was quiet until a voice spoke out loud in her head.

_Amitiel, have you investigated around the academy today?_ The voice spoke. Amitiel easily recognized that deep, manly voice.

_Yes, I have. As usual, I haven't found him just yet, Raziel._ Amitiel responded mentally.

_Perhaps not enough. I advise you do not get yourself wound up in the students' affairs, that is a big distraction. You are not here to befriend anyone._ Raziel spoke firmly.

Amitiel looked straight back in the hall, and there stood Raziel beside one of the long windows, the moonlight shone onto his pale skin, and the golden light from the ceiling chandeliers coloured his dark brown hair with strands of dark gold. His vivid green eyes laid fixed on Amitiel.

"I'm still working at the mission," Amitiel responded while her gaze still looked back. Amitiel realized she had said it out loud.

"Huh? The hell are you talking to?" Rin stopped and looked at Amitiel in suspicion. Amitiel shook her head and walked forward, ignoring the blue-haired teen. Rin tried to trail his gaze back to where she was looking behind her, only to find the hall abandoned and empty. Rin's head filled with questions suddenly.

What mission was she talking about?

* * *

He was merely staring behind as they walked forward down the lonely, golden hallway. He had never expected her to even interact with the amateur exorcists. He had expected her to completely obey his command and never snoop around socializing with them. He began to feel uneasy.

Raziel checked the metal watch on his wrist. It was nearly nine at night, what was Amitiel possibly doing with this boy at this time? She may have searched the Academy as asked, and despite she was the _Archangel of Truth_—the only being who cannot lie—he felt he was being lied to. Raziel observed her carefully during his classes, and she didn't seem to be using her free time to search around the Academy.

"I hope you do not fail, Amitiel," Raziel muttered in a low whisper. Suddenly, Raziel felt something. A presence. It seemed to have called him, and it was from the one being he least respected. Raziel frowned intensely as he flashed himself straight towards the aura of the bearer. In a flash second, Raziel was atop a building, a dormitory perhaps, overlooking the city's glittering landscape. It was nearly dark on top of the building, and within that mass of darkness stood a figure beside Raziel. The figure fixed his top hat with his gloved fingers after the huge gush of wind subsided.

"You are late." The figure was visible enough to be identified as Samael, the King of Time.

Raziel didn't make eye contact as he gazed at the city. "I had my reasons."

"Spying on my students, perhaps?" Mephisto smirked.

"Of course I am." Raziel crossed his arms. "I must keep a sharp eye on those pages, especially for my daughter."

"I know she isn't your daughter," Mephisto responded and tsked at him. "Despite you are siblings, she seems to care less about you."

Raziel remained silent. "I do not care that you are my brother's son, therefore, why should I consider you family?"

"Ah, how much love there is between our families," Mephisto teased with a sinister smirk.

Raziel and Mephisto had a quiet moment filled with silent hostility as they overlooked the city. Just the mere presence of Samael made Raziel feel uncomfortable. Raziel felt his sword under his coat—cold, clean, and unused. If he could, he wouldn't hesitate to behead the monster beside him—if he were willing to face Satan's wrath that is. Well, he may as well expect it when word goes out his newborn son is dead.

"You do know I am the only being in this area that can kill you with my bare hands," Raziel said out of the blue.

"Do you expect me to be afraid? I am not worried about your... abilities," Mephisto replied calmly while leaning forward on his umbrella standing on the concrete. "Even if you can, you couldn't, because my father is the only one who will kill you." Mephisto made a low chuckle.

"Then you should be afraid still. If it were not for your loyal commitment to the Vatican and the Laws of the Grigori, as well as your contribution, you would be choking in your own blood. I find it ludicrous that humans are willing to make useless rules to protect you—to trust you. Consider yourself fortunate for the mercy I so rarely bequest."

"Consider yourself unfortunate enough to kill me." Mephisto smiled. His white canines laughed at Raziel.

Raziel completely ignored Mephisto as he changed the topic. "You could have warned him of us. Why didn't you? That would be wise if you did. Of all beings, he should be prepared to fight us. Why have you not prepared him yet? I feel as if you are being deceptively easy on us."

Raziel eyed Mephisto. "Is this another one of your petty games?"

Mephisto hummed a bit, unworried. "This game is only as real as life itself. Only his faith in becoming an exorcist can help prepare him for what he must face." Mephisto closed his eyes as the wind brushed through his long purple side bangs. "I feel as if, by living, he is preparing himself already. This school will teach him how to battle his demonic weaknesses. That is how he may grow stronger, I believe."

Raziel lowered both his head and tone. "How about his power? That is something he cannot overcome, let alone control."

"That... Is surprising. He has a considerate amount of control over them. I've taught him ways of cloaking his identity, even the little hints that can throw off his cover. He is smarter than he acts. I guess I must not worry about him revealing himself, therefore, I am not worried about you and your mission's success." Mephisto looked at Raziel with a devilish smile on his face, as if mocking the angel.

Raziel never expected Mephisto to be afraid. To the demon, time was like a film, and he was the director, he has control over it. He is capable of rewinding into the past of the film, or forwarding farther into the film before anyone else can see it. He knows about all the events that occur in Assiah, in the past, present, and future. He saw all of them. Raziel wouldn't be surprised if Samael knew if the mission failed or succeeded. Samael knows everything just as much as Raziel does, but one thing Samael had was the ability to manipulate and modify time to his own taste. Whatever he must do, Raziel must not unknowingly fall into the demon's traps that sets his future according to his interests. Mephisto craves control over his subjects, and Raziel had always tried to avoid his deceptive tricks to gain control. If he had control, Samael could manipulate Raziel's future for the worst. All living things are his actors, who are merely given a script and forced to play their parts created by him.

However, there was one detail Samael couldn't possibly control: free-will, in which the angels lacked, but in which humanity possesses. Destiny is difficult to control if one believes in their own part—that is what Samael fears.

"He would be much keener if he knew how to conceal his soul. I feel him at this very moment," Raziel added.

"Yes, but why didn't you kill him?" Mephisto questioned the angel with a hint of teasing. Raziel remained silent as Mephisto answered that for him. "Perhaps because it isn't your job, correct?"

Raziel stiffened his jaw. "If it were my duty, he would have been dead the minute he was born, just like his mother."

"Possibly, but this isn't about you. The issue is: will _she_ be prepared to face him? What would you do when she fails? I can tell she is already struggling. She is struggling to even sense his presence." Mephisto let out an amusing chuckle. Just seeing the archangel struggle satisfied him.

Raziel crossed his arms firmly as he overlooked the city, his long cassock blew with the wind behind him. "Her desire to succeed excels my own. She is one of the most ruthless angels in the family. Like all angels, she is immune to any human weakness. She is incorruptible—not even your little brother can manipulate her."

"Do you think that archangel can handle the truth about his identity?" Mephisto raised an eyebrow. "Not everyone stays strong forever, you know," the dark-haired demon added. Raziel grit his teeth together.

"And you think that only applies to us, Samael?" Raziel replied seriously.

Mephisto chuckled lowly as he felt a strong gush of wind hit his body, sending his cape flapping in the air. After the wind subsided, Mephisto closed his eyes and sat back. Except he wasn't sitting on anything, just the air. Not even the gravity pulled him down on the ground. Mephisto crossed his legs in purple tights and leaned back in midair.

The demon king stroked his small goatee on his chin as he spoke to himself. "The stage has been set, and the characters will begin playing their parts. Now I shall sit back and observe the show, then. The curtains are about to rise up!"

* * *

**A/N: Another chapter finished! Seriously, why am I still writing this lol? Well, I did get some lovely reviews, a special thanks to **_**Hell Province for their wonderful critique/review, it really inspires me to continue on when I get favs/follows/reviews/etc. It just shows people appreciate your story, y'know? It's a nice feeling... like getting Nutella (I LOVE nutella...a lot)**_

_**How's Rin and Amitiel's study session gonna turn out? Find out when the next chapter is posted...in october (blame school)**_


	10. Chapter 9: All in Good Faith

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 9: All in Good Faith**_

* * *

**Rin was in the middle of searching for his sweater when suddenly he heard a sharp knock on the door.** Rin jumped over and opened the door to come face to face with Hana. She had her blond waves of hair tied up into a high bun, with strands falling beside her cheeks. Her side bangs were tucked behind her round ears. Amitiel didn't wear the school uniform, but rather black leggings and a tanned long-sleeved, wool turtle neck. In her hands were her study books and notes she was going to use to attack Rin if he slacked off. Amitiel only stared at Rin with minimal expectation in her dark eyes.

"Hi! Welcome to my den," Rin shot a welcoming smile and allowed her to step in. Rin felt his palms sweat. It was new and awkward for a girl to be in his room. The moment she could take a look inside, Amitiel frowned. The dorm had two beds across each other, with two separate desks in the back beside the beds. Everything about the architecture of the building was identical on each sides—except for who was living there. One side of the room looked neat and tidy; everything was arranged a specific order. Amitiel even noticed the book shelf had books arranged alphabetically. The bed was even made. Amitiel expected this side to be Yukio's territory.

As soon as she wavered her gaze away from his side of the room, her eyes stumbled upon the complete opposite appearance. The other side looked like a tornado ravaged on that side. Clothes laid on the ground everywhere and under the bed, there was even clothes hidden in the covers of the unmade bed. Amitiel was sure this was Rin's side.

"Sorry, I was about to clean this up but then you arrived." Rin made a goofy smile and scratched the back of his neck. "To be honest, I actually forgot about this study session." Rin's chest jumped and he immediately decided to shove stuff aside into a pile, a pair of striped boxers hung on the post of the bed, and Rin took it and threw it into the pile. He tried his hardest to hide his red cheeks.

Yukio opened the door and walked in. He reached for the closet door but stopped when he noticed someone else in the room. "Oh, Tanaka-san. It's quite odd to find you around Nii-san." Yukio glanced at Rin.

"Yah, we're cool. I think," Rin shrugged his shoulders.

"Finally," Yukio sighed in relief. Deep relief. Yukio had always tried to avoid exposing his brother in situations that may provoke him to snap. When Rin is angry, it was like hell was on Earth. _Literally._ Not like it was different for Yukio when he gets angry.

Yukio reached over to his closet, which hung many exorcist coats and uniforms. Yukio grabbed one of the coats off the hangers and slipped into it.

"I'm just gonna go on a mission." Yukio buttoned up and tightened his belt. "Don't do anything stupid together," Yukio added as he fixed the folds.

Yukio stood out of the door when he turned back to his brother. "By the way, Nii-san, please clean up your mess—that isn't very impressive to women." Rin made a face at him. Yukio was always the one who had to clean up Rin's crap.

"Yah, like you know everything about girls!" Rin remarked with a snort.

"Actually, more seem to be compelled by my presence than you," Yukio teased his brother with a smirk.

Amitiel had to say something to Rin. "... He's telling the truth, Rin."

There was an immediate reaction. "Shut up!" Rin spun around and pointed a finger at her. "They haven't seen me in action yet, that's why!"

Yukio pushed his glasses up with more force than needed. All the teasing he made quickly turned into frustration in a second. "Just clean your damn crap up." Amitiel and Rin tensed as they felt Yukio's anger surge.

Yukio slammed the door on them, and Rin and Amitiel stood alone together. Rin moved over and began to clean up, throwing his dirty clothes in the basket his brother takes down to wash. Rin fixed the covers on his bed, trying to mimic the appearance of his brother's bed.

Rin stopped and ruffled his navy blue hair as he wondered about something. _Wait...why am I even doing this?_ Rin's heart skipped when he realized something he never expected himself to do, especially to Hana. He found himself wanting to impress her, but why? He surely had nothing towards Hana, perhaps his brother's threatening tone scared him to clean up.

"Are you looking for something?" Amitiel said as she noticed Rin was digging through his pile of clothes. She also glanced at Rin's sword on his bed.

Rin's heart leaped suddenly and he shot up. "Uh, I-I'm just looking for my blue sweater."

"Oh," Amitiel placed the books on Rin's desk and crossed her arms and waited. Her schoolbag hung on her shoulder, and it was filled with more books—books she might not be able to use on him.

"Um, I'll be right back," Rin said after searching and then left the dorm.

The moment Rin disappeared into the hall. Amitiel turned towards the sword that was resting on Rin's bed, it was left vulnerable and unprotected. Amitiel's eyes darkened as she slowly approached the sword without making a creak under her feet. The closer the angel got, the stronger the sword's aura hit her. It was nerve-wracking, her senses were tingling, and the hairs on her arms rose up.

Standing right before her might be the only obstacle obstructing her from completing her mission. She found it quite deceptive that this sword, immobile and powerless on the outside, could mess with her senses. The demon inside is trapped in that sheath, unable to defend itself from her. She will simply snap that piece of metal in half, and everything will come together. The sword's essence will no longer blind her senses. In an instant, she will know his location, and finish this for all.

Amitiel slowly reached out to touch the sword. Her dark, empty eyes reflected themselves on the sheath. She observed its appearance as her fingers reached out. She recognized the sword, apparently this wasn't just any sword—it was an ancient weapon. Why would a boy like Rin own a legendary sword?

Amitiel's fingers touched the surface of the sheath, and suddenly a screaming pain shot through her skull. Amitiel shut her eyes and threw herself back and clutched her head, her ears were ringing and a shock travelled through her, as if she got electrified. Amitiel breathed heavily, regaining control of herself. Amitiel looked at her fingers that made contact with the sword and dark burns were left behind. She observed the burns as they healed in an instant. She looked back at the sword. Even if it was just a piece of metal, it was still a living thing. There is a living demon in that sword.

Amitiel sucked in her breath and quickly grabbed the sword with both hands. Amitiel tried to suppress her chances of screaming in pain as she tried to fight against the beast inside it. Amitiel handled the pain quickly and held the sword without wincing. She was as calm as a lake. She was preparing to snap it in half just when something stopped her.

She looked at the door and there stood Rin in his blue sweater, with a horrified look on his face. He didn't move an inch, but his breathing was heavy as if he ran for miles.

"H... Hana," Rin gasped as he looked at Amitiel then at the sword in her hands. His heart was thrumming against his ribcage. "M-my sword... Give it back." Rin reached out his shaking hand.

"_Koumaken Kurikara_, they called it." Amitiel stared down at the sword in her hands, the sheath was blue and glossy, with silver brackets holding the sheath together. "If this sword is legitimate, it is believed it belonged to _fudō-myōō_. He was a guardian deity of the living that was among the Five Wisdom Kings. He had a wrathful reputation, and he was clad in burning red flames. His sword had a curling dragon around it. Did you know the Dragon is also the symbol of Satan?" Amitiel eyed Rin without raising her head.

Rin remained silent not out of confusion, but out of great fear.

"But," Amitiel continued. "The dragon should not always be labelled as Satan's icon. It is also a very noble creature, deemed with wisdom and knowledge." Amitiel raised the sword up with her hand on the grip, as she stared at it from bottom up. "This is a powerful sword. I feel it will aid you on your journey to become an exorcist. It would be a shame if it were destroyed."

It was a shame a demon had corrupted this beautiful sword.

"How do you know this?" Rin croaked.

"I've come to learn about it. I've been told by... certain people," Amitiel responded calmly as she passed it back to its owner. The pain in her hands stopped and she felt them heal. Rin quickly ripped it out of her grip. He wasn't relieved she didn't steal it, he was only relieved she didn't draw it.

"H-Here, you can just sit on my bed or whatever." Rin looked insecure. He pointed at his bed. "I'll sit here." Rin sat on the chair to his desk, keeping his sword close to his body, as if it was a vital part of him. Amitiel walked past his desk and saw a picture frame, with a priest in it. He had circular red-tinted glasses and short, messy, layered grey hair. He looked in his fifties.

Rin tensed as she reached over and picked it up, she ran her thumb over the priest's face and asked, "who is this?"

Rin looked over and took the picture, as if he was insecure about her touching it.

"Here... we'll study over these—" Rin placed the frame under the desk lamp and pulled out one of her books from her bag. The golden light illuminated the Father's smiling face.

"Who was he? A relative?" Amitiel looked at Rin.

Rin didn't look up and hesitated."... He's my father."

He lied, so Amitiel assumed he was a father figure to Rin.

"Oh, I see."

Rin swallowed a lump down his throat and scratched his head. His shoulders were stiff and raised up. He flipped the pages until Amitiel said something.

"Something happened to him, right?" Amitiel glanced at the picture then at the boy. They didn't look at all alike. Rin seemed uncomfortable just by the mention of the priest.

"...Y-yah. Can we—"

"He's dead, isn't he?"

Rin was shocked at how direct she was. "... Yah."

Amitiel paused for a minute before she let out short "Hmm."

Rin was shocked, he expected her—anyone—to reply with a sympathetic sorry, but she only hummed, like she couldn't care less. Rin felt disrespected by her action.

"Can we just study now?" Rin said more forcefully.

Amitiel continued, much to Rin's dismay. "'_Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely..._' at least, that's what Buddha said," Amitiel quoted. Rin just stood silent, without looking up. "He seems like a very wise, courageous father. I can tell you cherished him dearly."

Rin gulped uncomfortably.

"I wonder where he is—right now," Amitiel continued speaking, eyeing the picture and Rin. "Don't you ever wonder whether he's happy or not? I wonder what it's like to be sleeping eternally, buried underneath earth, being dea—"

"SHUT UP!" A loud bang sounded.

Amitiel's dark eyes came into contact with blue ones. Rin gasped and withdrew his hand from the desk, there was a small crack on the surface where Rin had hit it. Rin felt burning hot tears prick the back of his eyes and he gasped. Rin breathed shuddering breaths as he wrapped himself in his arms, restraining himself. He clutched the sword close to his chest.

"I-I'm sorry... I'm Sorry..." Rin muttered through shaky breaths. His heart ached, and just the thought about Father Fujimoto pained him to tears. No one could understand how much he missed him. Father Fujimoto was the only being who ever showed love towards Rin and Yukio. He was the only human in this forsaken world who saw through Rin and Yukio's nature.

Amitiel leaned in closer to Rin. He didn't back away.

"Don't be sorry," Amitiel said softly with a small shake to her head. "You're in pain, I understand that, but you mustn't get so sensitive about him." Rin looked back up at her, he was surprised by what she said.

"You have to look forward; let go, that's key to becoming stronger in spirit, Rin. You've all lost someone, and that's the burden of mortality. Human life is easily destroyed, don't let the fear for death take over you, it will come at some point in a human's life, so accept it. When you become an exorcist, you will see much more death that you will be forced to accept." Amitiel looked out the window, observing all the life flourishing outside this lonely building.

"I've seen enough death," Rin grit his teeth in rage and grief.

Amitiel looked back at him, "then you must pull yourself together, Rin, that is—if you want to face more."

Rin was agape at her words. No matter how harsh they were—it was the truth. It just seemed difficult for Rin to accept it. It was difficult for him to accept that his father was really gone.

"... let's just... study..." Rin said, attempting to change the sombre topic.

* * *

"Since the beginning, there were two types of religious followership, one known as the Sons of Light, the other as the Sons of Darkness," Amitiel spoke as she read from the textbook in her hands. Rin was sitting on the chair at his desk, with his arms crossed on the wooden surface and his head laid on his arms. He merely just listened.

"The Sons of Light were disciples of God, such as humans, priests, and exorcists; whereas the Sons of Darkness devoted their loyalty to the Devil, such as demons, Satanists, and witches. Each has their own methods of worship. The sons of Light attend masses, prayers, and rituals, and the Sons of Darkness use sacrifices, séances, and black magick. Each cult opposes each other and therefore..."

* * *

"There are many diverse treatments of possession," Amitiel spoke as Rin looked at her, listening. "The possession type varies and therefore, the treatment will vary as well. Demons that possess objects and animals can be exorcised physically by four Meisters of exorcism: Knight, Dragoon, Tamer, and Aria. However, Aria are very crucial in treating Oppression and Possession. When it comes to dealing with the Fallen Angels or even Satan himself, a traditional exorcism, such as _Ad S. Michaelem Archangelum_ or _Exocismus_ must be performed in order to save the victim aliv—"

"_Japanese_, Hana!" Rin shouted as he bolted his head off the desk. She seemed to forget not everyone understands Latin.

Amitiel paused and took a breath."—_Ad S. Michaelem Archangelum_ or Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel. _Exocismus_ or Exorcism. There."

Rin rested his head on the desk, relaxed now. It's been a few hours and Hana hadn't done anything else that upset him, which was a huge relief to Rin. "Thanks, now continue in _Japanese_."

Amitiel flipped through the textbook until she stumbled upon a different topic. "Demons were once messengers of God, also known as angels..."

"...Hana?" Rin asked quietly, his head remained on the desk.

"Yes?"

Rin hesitated for a moment before he asked, "Do _you_ believe in angels?"

Amitiel paused a moment. "... Of course I do."

_I am one_, she wanted to say.

Rin looked at the picture of his father standing in front of his face. He ran his fingers over the glass. "My dad used to talk to me about guardian angels when I was still a brat. He read me bedtime stories about angels, he said they protect us from demons."

"They do."

Rin chuckled dryly. "Yah, and they're doing a shit-job at that."

"Don't be so negative about that." Amitiel frowned derisively at his comment. How can he say that when she has protected humans for centuries? "Angels have watched over every person. They have protected you for centuries," Amitiel said.

"Really?" Rin raised his head and narrowed his eyes at the angel. "Next time, go outside, and look around you. Do you know what I see every day? Demons. Everywhere. And guess what else? No angels. Why would you rely on a species that doesn't have the guts to show their faces, huh? They aren't protecting us. And they certainly won't protect me."

_They don't even exist_, Rin thought.

"...I know it's hard to understand." Amitiel replied calmly. "But you must know that angels rely on faith, not proof. Believe me, angels are just as real as demons."

"Prove it to me, then," Rin crossed his arms.

Amitiel felt stuck."... I really wish I could show you." Amitiel sighed. She wanted so badly to reveal herself to him, just so that he feels confident and sure; just so that he can see the truth for himself. It must be terrible to always wonder whether or not her kind does exist, and she was commanded by Heaven to never reveal herself to them, and she can never disobey them. She doesn't even know how.

"But keep in mind that you are still alive," Amitiel continued. "There are demons everywhere, yes, but you're still living. Isn't that enough proof that they are protecting you?"

"That's funny, because my father would always say that we are alive because of angels. I don't think angels want _all_ of us to be alive..." Rin pursed his lips, looked down, and clenched his fists. "There are people... monsters that shouldn't be alive."

"Then if there are monsters, they'll be eliminated. Unfortunately, believing in angels means also believing in the Devil. Many people I've met struggle in believing, you are too. So I understand."

"No, you don't understand." Rin shook his head, she couldn't be even close to understanding. She was apathetic, after all. She also couldn't understand because of something else about him. Something far worse: he was the monster.

"Believe me, I do understand," Amitiel said sincerely.

"Then what about the people that have died, the innocent people? What if they were murdered by a demon? Why didn't _angels_ save them, huh?" Rin almost snapped, and spatted at the word. A memory of his father flashed in his mind. His father, when he was still alive, before he was killed by Satan.

"... Contrary to popular belief, death always happens for a reason. Perhaps it was fate." Amitiel raised her chin up, then exhaled.

Amitiel's response only made him angry. "Reason? Fate? Stop lying, Hana. A fate for what? A brutal death?! Is that it?" Rin was standing up now.

Amitiel's face was no longer bland and calm. She snapped her head aside and glared at Rin. "I am _not_ lying. The first thing you should never expect from me is a lie."

"Well, your response doesn't seem like the truth." Rin frowned and crossed his arms. Rin tried to refrain his anger by looking out the window, the faint moonlight shone against his pale skin. If angels really exist, they could have at least saved him from Satan.

From Rin.

Amitiel realized her fists were clenched on her thighs, she looked down at them and then relaxed. She had never had a conversation so deep like this. How much faith in Heaven had been lost over these centuries? Rin seemed to despise her kind. A lot. "You'll see," Amitiel sighed sharply. "Someday, you'll cross paths with angels. They remain hidden in disguise as a human. You may have talked to one and never realized it."

"If angels really do exist, then the only angel I've ever met was my father," Rin responded immediately. "He was the one who protected me and my brother. He is the one I truly believe in, not those—" Rin clenched his teeth and looked away as he finished,"—not those winged cowards."

Amitiel realized she couldn't stop him. It was peculiar, seeing how these humans had the right to reject those who had protected them for generations. How can they do it? Amitiel couldn't possibly understand how...and why they would choose not to believe. "I... see." Amitiel paused for a moment, and the dorm became silent. No studying was taking place. Rin had an opened book in his hand, but it wasn't being read. He couldn't even look at it.

"Let's... push aside this religious debate and focus on your academic success," Amitiel finally said.

There was something that was bothering Amitiel as they studied. She couldn't decipher it. Seeing how Rin treasured his sword given by his father, it reminded him of his last moments before his father's death. Amitiel felt this sinking feeling about destroying Rin's sword, in fact, she didn't want to destroy it at all.

_W... what am I thinking...?_

* * *

"There, this is what will be expected on the exam," Amitiel said as she closed her textbook in her laps and placed her hands on top of them. "If you want I can—"

Amitiel stopped when she realized Rin wasn't listening at all. He was sleeping. Rin's head laid on his crossed arms on top of his desk. His mouth was slightly opened, as well as his eyes, but he was still snoring asleep. Amitiel checked the clock on Rin's desk and realized it was just past midnight.

She looked back at Rin and quietly placed the book on his desk. She approached him and bent down her knees as she observed him, her face close to his. She could feel his weak, warm breaths against her skin. Amitiel titled her head aside and stared for a few minutes, observing Rin's pale face, tracing his features and chin. She saw him shiver a bit.

Amitiel stood up and was about to exit through the door when something caught her eye. His sword was slung over his shoulder still.

Amitiel opened the door but as soon as she pulled on it, it creaked loudly. Amitiel released it then realized she must take another way without waking Rin up. Humans of all beings need their rest.

Amitiel opened the window in front of Yukio's desk and she climbed on top of it. She looked at Rin one last time before she jumped out.

The last thing Rin had heard was a deep flap of wings, and something soft over himself.

* * *

Rin's eyes felt they had been glued shut, but he forced them open when he felt the hot sunlight penetrating through his eyelids. "Huh...?" Rin yawned and his mouth was dry and stiff. Rin took a moment to wake himself up when he realized there was something on him. Something soft. Rin looked over his shoulder and one of his blankets laid wrapped around him. He slid out of the blanket when he realized day had come.

"Oh, Hana! Wake up!" Rin looked around himself for any sign of Hana. In fact, he felt awkward that she may be sleeping here. However, there was no sign of anybody else except Rin. The blue-haired boy felt his arms cover in goosebumps when a cool breeze brushed through him.

Rin hugged himself to keep warm. "Hey, who opened the window?" Rin saw the curtains flowing as the wind glided through them.

He closed the window.

"Ah, dammit, I'm gonna be late," the teen frowned after checking the clock. "Thanks for the wake up call, Four-eyes."

Rin buttoned up his white shirt, and fixed the tie around the collar of his shirt. He slipped into his black dress pants and tightened his black and white belt. Rin looked at himself in the mirror and ruffled his hair, only to make its puffiness even worse than before. Rin always had terrible bed-head, and it was difficult to fix it. Rin grunted and smoothed out his layered, messy dark blue strands with a comb. He swept his bangs to the side and Rin smiled coolly at himself. The bangs just fell back into his face. Rin frowned, blew out and his bangs shot up for a second before hitting his face again.

Rin remembered something. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the clip Suguro gave to him earlier. Rin smirked and pinned his bangs, satisfied.

Rin closed the door and locked it, then decided he might as well wake Hana up if she was still sleeping. Rin chuckled to himself at that thought. That was ironic, normally it was Yukio who always had to wake Rin up, not the other way around. But still, she would probably kill him if he hadn't woken her up. He owed her something for her help after all.

"Hello? Hana?" Rin called from the outside of the dorm. There was no answer. Rin decided to knock on the door, and so he did.

"Were going to be late for school!" Rin shouted. Wake u—"

Rin's hand was still clenched in midair as the door slowly creaked open.

Rin frowned suspiciously and he cautiously entered her dorm. He hoped she wasn't in the middle of changing her clothes or worse if she was still sleeping. He was scared to even touch her, to be honest, mainly because she can scare others just by her stoic stare. Perhaps she would pounce on him and put that silver blade of hers against his throat again. Déja vu.

Fortunately, it seemed to be empty. Rin wondered if she left him, or if she allowed him to sleep. Rin noticed the curtains near Hana's window were flowing, and her window was also open. Rin moved towards the window, walking across her dorm. Rin observed the window then shut it. Rin sighed, turned around and something suddenly appeared right before him.

"GOD—!" Rin jerked back and hit Hana's desk, almost knocking things over.

Amitiel stood still only inches away from Rin. "I'm not god. Are you stealing?" She frowned suspiciously, seeing as she found him in her own dorm.

"No, where the hell did you go?" Rin took a breath from surprise.

"Stealing is a sin," Amitiel stated.

"Okay, _Ô Religious One_," Rin replied sarcastically.

Amitiel only had to frown at him to dropped his arrogance.

* * *

"They should be arriving here soon," Yukio said as he crossed his legs and leaned back against the wall beside the dormitory's doorway. Rin and Yukio waited outside their dorm, with Yukio's brother sitting down on the short concrete stairs.

With a frown upon his face, Rin said, "I hope that all-nighter last night was worth it. Man that was tough."

"Oh? So I assumed it went well?" Yukio's eyes widened in surprise. He was impressed Rin had the perseverance to actually study. Yukio had a spark of hope in his heart, a sign indicating Rin might have a chance at this exam, which was going to start soon when the other cram students show up.

"Y-yah, sorta..." Rin rubbed the back of his neck and thought about that horrifying moment when he found Hana with his sword in her hands, and her words about his deceased father.

Suddenly, something else came up as soon as Rin thought about hana and the study session. He didn't remember waking up with a blanket over himself, and he knew the first person to thank.

Rin looked over his shoulder and gazed back at Yukio with an appreciating smile. "Hey, by the way, thanks for the blanket, man."

"Pardon? What blanket?" Yukio blinked his eyes at Rin.

"I thought you—" Rin began, but was cut off when the dorm's door opened and Hana stepped out, she was wearing only her white short-sleeved shirt instead of the usual cream-coloured uniform sweater. Rin immediately turned towards Hana with a silent, surprised glance and realized something.

"Huh?" Yukio said.

Rin shook his head and looked away quickly when his and Hana's eyes came into contact. "Never mind," Rin responded to his confused brother with slightly coloured cheeks.

"Shiemi-san promised us to make some of her herbal tea before the exam. It helps manage stress," Yukio changed the topic.

"Huh? Shiemi? Did Eyebrows command her to make it or something?" Rin remarked as he recalled Shiemi's fake friendship with Izumo, and it only made him cringe if she was told by Izumo.

"Pardon? She had been preparing herbal tea since I was still an exorcist-in-training. How is Kamiki-san involved in this?" Yukio formed a crease between his eyebrows in confusion. Shiemi and Yukio had become friends in the past, and when Yukio was preparing for his exorcist exam, Shiemi thought it would be best if she prepared him some of her herbal tea, which was invented by her grandma. With a large garden growing a large variety of herbs, Shiemi was able of creating many different sweet-smelling teas, his favourite being the one that manages stress.

"Shiemi's... totally becoming her bitch!" Rin exclaimed to himself as he was engulfed by annoyance. He seemed to have completely ignored Yukio.

"A what?" Yukio responded, who clearly didn't understand what his twin suddenly brought up.

"Never mind." Rin shook his head. "I mean, how can she do this to herself, dammit," Rin continued to speak to himself.

"Why are you telling this to us?"

Rin turned towards the speaker, which turned out to be Amitiel. "Really? _You_ haven't noticed either? That Kamiki girl is messing with Shiemi."

Oh wait, she might not even care about Shiemi.

"What's this got to do with me? This isn't my business. I'm not wasting my time here helping people that do not concern me." Amitiel frowned derisively and crossed her arms and leaned back against the door.

Rin was shocked. "...What the hell did you say?"

"Why would you rely on me? Why don't _you_ stand up for her, since you care for her so much?" Amitiel questioned Rin, and he was offended.

"Huh?!"

"If you care about her, then stop complaining and stop her. Don't bring me into this, I don't care, it's not my business." Amitiel pushed her waves back with her forehand and looked away from him.

"W...why the hell did you have to say that?" Rin squeaked. She was so cold-blooded. In appearance, she looked innocent and bubbly, but personality-wise, she was phlegmatic and stolid. He didn't even recognize who he was talking to, not the mature, honest girl she was last night.

"Rin and Yukio, quit being so quarrelsome already," Yukio added from aside.

"Hardy har har, Four-Eyes," Rin laughed sarcastically that quickly turned into an indignant stare. Suddenly his face softened and he began to feel guilty inside.

"Oh, here they are," Yukio said and the trio looked up ahead to find Shiemi, Suguro and his crew, along with Izumo, Paku, the puppet boy, and the hooded student, walking towards them with large sleeping bags in hand.

At the sight of the old building, a shiver travelled up the students' spines. The dark, ominous scenery surrounding the worn out building gave the students the feeling that when seeing this building, they could not turn back.

"...You sure this place isn't haunted?" Shima asked, trying to hide the nervousness in his tone.

Izumo stared up at the building with little sentiment. She shrugged her shoulders as she said, "I can deal with it. Here, hold this." Izumo tossed her bag into Shiemi's arms and Shiemi accepted in loyalty.

Izumo's friend felt the need to tell the girl that she has choices. "M-Moriyama-san, if you don't want to do it, just say no," Paku said, concerned.

Shiemi smiled and responded, "Paku! How can I say no when I'm helping a friend?" She declared happily.

Paku simply responded after realizing that this girl can't be stopped, "... okay."

Rin stared in irritation as Izumo entered the building while Shiemi trailed along with her things over her arms.

* * *

The room was dead silent, except for the sound of many pencils moving against paper. Amitiel thought that this test the students were taking was a piece of cake. She was glad that she was at least smarter at exorcism then actual school, actually—she was glad she was smart at something in this strange world. When it comes to school, she felt as if the teacher was speaking gibberish—so she wasn't smart at that.

Suguro already flipped his test over the moment an hour of the test passed and crossed his arms in a sense of pride. Everyone traded shocked glances at his incredible speed.

"I think Bon is God..." Shima whispered beside Konekomaru, who let out a smile as he wrote his test.

After he noticed every student's test was flipped over another hour later, Yukio checked his watch and announced, "okay, time's up, students. Hand over your tests to me."

Everyone immediately groaned as they stood up and handed in their tests. Amitiel's joints felt like they were rusty, she slowly stood up and stretched while releasing a large yawn.

Rin handed in his test and staggered out of the room, feeling a little hot and sick." I need... fresh air... _now_."

Bon merely remained crossing his arms and smirked, "pfft, please, give me a challenge."

"Then I will make sure they are a challenge," Yukio added to Bon's comment as he gathered the tests in a neat pile.

Bon grumbled as Rin shouted at him, "next time, just shut up about that, okay? That was like a friggin' exam!"

Bon almost lost his composure preventing him from killing that boy. "That's because it _is_ an exam, you jackass!"

Amitiel was first to walk out of the class, she had become quite thirsty and she was tired. She hadn't slept at all last night and her vessel was starting to strain from lack of sleep. Human bodies were so demanding, she never spent a day without her body complaining about something. She especially hated when her vessel has some strong cravings for sweets. At this moment, it was water and rest.

Amitiel made her way to the bathroom so she can have a shower, however, there was something that was bothering her.

She and the students weren't the only ones in this building.

Amitiel closed her eyes as she entered a deep state if concentration. Something was here, something menacing. She could feel its aura nearby.

_A demon,_ Amitiel spoke in her head. She opened her eyes, and the only thought running through her head was to warn the students.

* * *

**A/N: i am SO SORRY for the dreadful wait! But this was earlier than expected! :D Since I have a job and I have school it can be difficult to manage some time to write this TT_TT**

**This has got to be my favourite chapter so far, lots of character development going on hahahh it was fun making this, so enjoy!**

_**Now how will Amitiel react in the next chapter? We all know what's gonna happen to the students... I'll try posting it on halloween...that would nice...**_

_**anywoo, check out my dA account. The link is posted on my profile :)**_


	11. Chapter 10: The Truth about Friendship

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 10: The Truth about Friendship**_

* * *

**"Paku! Let's go take a bath together!" Izumo said eargerly as she jumped up and grabbed Paku's hand and led her out of the room.** "O-okay..." Paku replied, a little surprised. She was still trying to adjust after her exam.

Shiemi fortunately heard the conversation and immediately took action. "Oh, wait! Me too!" Shiemi bolted up and followed the other girls out of the room. Rin was about to say something but his mouth closed back up on him.

"Heh, a bath, huh?" Shima formed a crooked smirk, as he stared at the girls as they left the room. He also took a quick peek at Izumo's behind. "We should, y'know, sneak over and peep, heh heh."

Suguro's face scrunched up. "Shima! For god's sakes, you're a friggin' _priest_!" Suguro snapped at the teenage pervert—who basically ignored the morals of being a 'priest'.

"What?" Shima shrugged his shoulders with a carefree smile. "I'm sure deep down inside you wanna do it, eh?" Shima smiled again. "Don't you get curious?"

"Shima just cannot control it," Konekomaru sighed, but couldn't fight the urge to smile weakly. Out of the trio, Konekomaru knew Renzo was different out of the clan. Unlike Ryuji and Konekomaru, Renzo wasn't strict on education. He was laid-back and carefree, as if life was being good to him. Sometimes Ryuji thought Renzo was trying to fail on purpose during class—because he just didn't care about it. Nevertheless, their differences didn't separate them, because Renzo was like a brother to Konekomaru, so was Ryuji. They had been living together for their whole lives. All their families were part of the same temple—Ryuji's temple. Renzo's family, just like himself, were different. He and his brothers had the same, laid-back attitude, despite his father was strict.

Konekomaru remembered when they were still little kids, Renzo always did something that would embarrass them, mostly intentionally. He recalled one time when Renzo screamed like a little girl and ran around in circles in public when his shoe touched a dead fly. Konekomaru swore Renzo was more afraid of bugs than the Devil. Renzo's phobia was always the main target from Ryuji. He would find a small moth smaller than his pinky finger and wave it in front of Renzo's face. He would literally turn ghastly white and jump out of the way and run back into his house then lock himself in his room for the rest of the day. Then there were childhood moments the pink-headed boy knew would embarrass his friends and family—on purpose. He would sometimes steal his mother's underwear, walk around in public with it on his head, shouting, "I'm the Pantless Knight!" Shima was even nicknamed the 'Erotic Demon' in primary and middle school because sometimes he can't control his urges, so it was common to see him checking out the girls.

Despite his perverted, embarrassing attitude, Ryuji and Konekomaru loved Renzo as a whole, inside and out.

However, someone wasn't quite fond of his pervertedness.

"Please keep in mind your teacher is here," Yukio interrupted. Everything went silent for a moment, until Shima spun his head over to Yukio and approached him.

Shima smiled as he patted Yukio's shoulder blade, which caused the young exorcist's glasses to slip forward on the bridge of his nose. "C'mon, we all have manly desires. You gotta let them loose once in a while, right?"

Yukio had to pause a moment to regain his sanity. "... I do not engage in such frivolities." Yukio pushed his glasses back up and the white glare covered his sharp, serious gaze.

* * *

There was this sensation Amitiel always had when she was called upon by Raziel to exorcise a demon somewhere in Japan. When she faces the demon, she had this surge of power within her, as if nothing could stop her, as if the demon was weaker than her. She felt independent and nothing was blocking her way, or putting her mission at risk, or slowing her down.

Right now, she felt the opposite feeling in this case. A cold sensation touched her skin and raised the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck on end. This was the feeling of being powerless, weak. The students were the blockades preventing her from effectively handling a good exorcism—because now she is forced to protect these students while also successfully fighting the demon in the dormitory without getting herself and the others killed.

It was difficult to believe that of all places in this humongous academy, the demon had to choose the abandoned boys' dormitory. It didn't feel like a coincidence, because why would a demon target exorcists and not ordinary, weak humans? Amitiel could feel its energy emitting from afar, except it wasn't as far as she hoped it would be. Judging by its essence, it was strong, which means the demon isn't some lower-class fiend. Down the hall were a set of doors, which led to the bathrooms. However, now might not be a good time to use it for personal use—unless it also involved possibly dying.

_How did a demon bypass through security?_ Amitiel thought as she pulled out her blades from the sheaths on her thighs. It bothered her. She remembered Raziel telling her that this academy was heavily guarded by seals and charms that repel demons. How can the demon pass through undetected and unharmed?

_Unless..._

Amitiel heard footsteps approaching her and turned back to see Izumo and Paku, followed by Shiemi, heading towards the bathrooms—the location of the demon.

Amitiel cannot allow them to enter. As an angel, it was her duty to protect these humans, whatever it takes. Even if she didn't like them from the start.

"I apologize, but you can't enter passed here," Amitiel announced and she stood in front of Izumo.

Izumo stopped suddenly and gave Amitiel a frown. "What are you talking about?" Izumo responded curtly, confused.

"Please," Amitiel repeated calmly, her big amber eyes were empty from worry, deceptively difficult to reflect her concern. "For your own safety, don't go in the bathrooms."

Izumo frowned and placed her hands on her hips and spoke with a sense of irritation, "oh, what do you know, huh? You don't own it, so move."

Izumo tried to get passed Amitiel, but she stepped in Izumo's way again. Izumo stepped aside but Amitiel immediately jumped in her place.

Izumo was getting annoyed. The angel noticed Ryuji and the gang, including Rin, were walking towards the same direction (Yukio didn't follow them out of the room, perhaps he was too busy marking their exams).

Amitiel's chest tightened as the students walked calmly towards her direction. She felt like a ton of bricks were piling onto her. One by one. Student by student. If Izumo was this stubborn, how can Amitiel handle convincing the other students about what awaits them ahead? Without telling the whole truth, or even lie?

Izumo hissed and tried to push her way past the blond but Amitiel stopped her abruptly by throwing her arm in front of Izumo, blocking her again.

"What the hell?!" Izumo shouted and immediately pushed Amitiel's hand away, and Amitiel noted how weak Izumo was.

"Uh...what are you doing, Hana-san?" Shima raised an eyebrow at the situation, a little worried, especially since she had her blades in her hands. All the other pages stopped and wondered what was holding Hana back.

"I'm trying to protect you, Kamiki-san," Amitiel replied more forcefully. Her tone didn't sound as calm as it used to be. A skeptic Izumo glared fiercely at the angel.

"Look—" Amitiel stopped and saw worried eyes pinned onto her. She was gesticulating and was hesitating. These students had no experience whatsoever and they might not be prepared to know what lies ahead, or worse—fight that thing. But the truth inside her was urging itself to come out.

Amitiel hesitated for a moment, but found herself pointing her finger towards the direction of the bathrooms, and opened her mouth as she said, "... there's a demon in the bathrooms, don't go there—unless you plan to die."

Everyone now was exchanging worried and confused glances except for Izumo. Rin frowned in worry and looked past Amitiel towards the doorway to the bathrooms. It seemed quiet.

"There she goes making up the most absurd excuses! You're obviously lying, so move!" Izumo shouted.

Izumo pushed by Amitiel, which made her almost lose her balance. As the two girls followed the pig-tailed one Amitiel called again, raising her voice. "I'm telling the truth, Kamiki-san!"

"If I believed an ounce of that, I would kill it before it even shows its face," Izumo responded without turning back or stopping.

Amitiel had to shout, "You're not strong enough! Plea—!" Amitiel took a step to run and stop the girl before she felt a firm, warm hand latch onto her cold arm.

"Hana, let it go," Rin said, his grip preventing her from taking another step.

Amitiel stopped immediately, as she added without turning back, "... I was just telling the truth, Rin."

Rin released his grip on her arm, and spoke to her with sincerity, "Hana, Yukio checked this place and gave it the clear. You're being paranoid. Just let it go, okay?"

"But—"

Rin immediately cut her off, "no "buts", okay? If there were a demon I'd kick its ass for you."

Amitiel shook her head and looked down, her blond waves covered most of her face. She couldn't understand it. She told the truth, so why do they treat it as a lie? Even Rin, in a more diplomatic manner, denied it.

Amitiel grit her teeth, but then she relaxed her jaw. She breathed out a sigh, trying to regain her calm composure. "Alright, fine." Amitiel shrugged away her arm and Rin let it go. "Izumo will have to defend herself alone."

Rin was about to protest but Amitiel was already walking towards the bathrooms. She will stop it herself, then.

Rin noted, for the first time, how frustrated she sounded. He had never seen her express any sign of emotion. What was up with her?

* * *

Shiemi had never felt so happy in her life. Here she was, standing at the doors of the girls' bathroom, with her new friends Izumo and Paku. She had waited so long for friends, and she finally got some. She will treasure her and Izumo's friendship. No matter what may come across them, she will try her hardest to keep this friendship from falling apart—because it was all she had.

"O-oh, my first bath with my friends!" Shiemi squealed with glee as they stood in front of the door.

"Wait here, okay?" Izumo turned to Shiemi before she entered.

Shiemi was confused. "Huh?"

"I'm sorry, but you can't come with me. I don't want you to see me naked. A friend would understand, right?" Izumo asked innocently.

"But..." Shiemi hesitated to protest.

Izumo remembered something. "Oh, while I'm in, could you go get me some fruit milk? That'll keep you busy in the meantime, okay?"

Without a reply, Izumo closed the door on Shiemi, leaving her stranded in the hallway. It was beginning to grow dark outside, and darkness began to creep in the halls. Shiemi felt the darkness close in on her suddenly as she stood frozen in sorrow. All the happiness she had a few seconds ago died out, swallowed up by the darkness.

Rin noticed her all alone in the hallway, and took the opportunity to talk to her, perhaps even tell her the truth like Amitiel suggested. "Whatcha doing?" Rin asked as he took a slurp of his juice box in his hand.

Shiemi didn't take a chance to look at him without feeling her throat tightening up. She only stood still as she said solemnly, "...nothing. I have to go buy fruit milk." Shiemi turned to walk past Rin. He slurped his juice box loudly then stopped when he grabbed her arm from behind her. She didn't try to protest.

"Will you stop doing that?" Rin said, almost shouting. Just by hearing the tone in her damaged voice only raised his anger towards Izumo.

"'That'?" Shiemi asked, confused at what he was referring to.

"Quit being her bitch and running errands for her! It's wrong!" Rin shouted.

Shiemi bit her lip hard, as she tensed up her shoulders and finally turned towards Rin. "How...how can you say that?! I'm helping, that's what I'm doing!" Shiemi raised her voice too. She could feel the back of her eyes sting as tears came at the corners of her eyes.

"Are you freaking serious?!" Rin tightened his grip on his juicebox, squishing it. "C'mon, Shiemi! Do you really think you're helping Izumo? You know better!" Rin tightened his grip on her arm. Shiemi didn't complain. "Tell me, how many times has she asked you to get her fruit milk? How many times has she ever thanked you?" He said. Something Rin said touched Shiemi's heart—more like stabbed it. His words—they felt like a bunch of swords, piercing through Shiemi's heart and bleeding it. But deep down inside her bleeding heart—something hurt her way worse than Rin—she felt he was telling the truth.

Shiemi wanted to ignore it. Everything. She couldn't possibly believe him. Rin would never understand her position, how it feels to be lonely. "Y-you...you could never understand! I'm... tired of hiding in the shadow and allowing others to help me out." Shiemi bowed her head, where her thick, blond bangs shadowed her teary eyes. She thought about Rin and Yukio's bravery and courage when they saved her from the demon that possessed her. She was nothing like them, yet she longed to be like them. It just felt like an eternity away from achieving it—impossible to reach. Shiemi threw her head up and looked straight into Rin's cobalt, angry eyes. "I... I-I wanna have a chance to be strong, so I can help others! She's my very first friend!" Shiemi pleaded and began to wrestle herself free from Rin's iron grip.

"No, listen—!"

"Stop it! You have friends and you're strong, so please leave me alone!" Shiemi screamed and broke free, then began to run away. Rin stood, feeling anger and confusion silently burn within him.

He charged after Shiemi in hot pursuit, "hey! Get back here! Wait!"

* * *

_I'll just take a shower, then when the demon shows itself..._ Amitiel clutched her blades in her hands and returned them to her sheaths and looked around herself cautiously. She walked into the bathrooms before anyone could enter. She performed a short search before the other girls could walk in, but it was empty, however it didn't feel empty. The demon was in here for sure, but why isn't it attacking?

The angel could hear voices, Izumo and Shiemi's voices, behind the bathroom door. Suddenly, Izumo walked in, turned around and asked Shiemi to buy her fruit milk. Amitiel watched Izumo close the door, Shiemi's hurt face was wiped out of sight as the door closed.

"Oh," Izumo reacted curtly when she saw Amitiel. "Look at that, we're still alive."

Amitiel frowned at Izumo, but shook her head and began untying her tie. Her blades were strapped against Amitiel's thighs. Whatever happens between her and Izumo, she would not care about it more than her own safety. In fact, she wasn't safe at all. Amitiel's senses were tingling, urging her to stay cautious and prepare to fight.

"Thank god the bathrooms aren't so rundown. I can't believe someone could live in a place like this," Izumo muttered to Paku as she took off her school sweater and began loosening her silky tie.

Paku's head lowered and she stiffened her shoulders. "Izumo-chan..." Paku asked quietly. "Aren't you being a little rude?"

Amitiel threw a quick side glance to Izumo and Paku, something indicated it was starting to get personal. Raziel reminded Amitiel to respect peoples' privacy and personal issues, especially in a bathroom where people felt uncomfortable undressing in front of others. Amitiel still couldn't understand it. When she first came to Assiah, she expected humans to be free of shame, so she anticipated to find humans walking around naked. However, it was the opposite. Now she must follow their societal rules and wear things they call 'clothes'. Amitiel insisted she will not wear any clothes, because she doesn't feel shame. She didn't understand why she must wear clothes. She once walked out of her room naked only to find Raziel throwing clothes at her face, demanding she must respect humans' way of life.

Amitiel walked to the shower area, which was behind the lockers encased in thick, tiled walls. There were showers behind a large glass window the size of a wall, but it was in front of the girls. They would feel awkward if they saw her naked.

Amitiel began unbuttoning her blouse as she honed in on the conversation.

"What do you mean, Paku?" Izumo stopped loosening her tie.

"What you're doing with Moriyama-san," Paku reminded.

"Oh, her? She's not really my friend, it's her fault for going along with it though!" Izumo raised her chin up in superiority. Izumo immediately spun around and cupped her best friend's hands with hers, "but it's different with you, Paku! You're my best friend! I'm so glad you came to cram school with me!"

"Though I'm hardly keeping up..." Paku answered sheepishly.

"Don't worry about that! I'll help you out, always!" Izumo exclaimed cheerfully. "I'll always support you, Paku." Izumo smiled.

_Just like how you supported me..._

_"Hey, there's that girl again." A little boy whispered to his friend as he saw a small, purple-haired girl treading down the hallway with a stack of books in her hands._

_"That Kamiki girl said she saw another ghost, what a weirdo." A girl giggled with her friends._

_Izumo unfortunately heard the kids' conversations about her nearby. She wished she hadn't. She would feel so much better if she never heard them, but it felt as if they were speaking loudly on purpose just so that she can hear them clearly._

_"She's just pretending so she can get attention. She's so lonely she's willing to make herself look pitiful to others." The group of kids continued with the verbal assaults as Izumo walked away, her mind tarnished by the horrible comments._

_One of the students in the group of mocking kids looked back at Izumo, then at her friends. Suddenly, a pang of guilt shot through her, and she found herself jogging up towards Izumo._

_"Hey! Wait up!" The girl cried out._

_Izumo stopped and turned around. A little girl with short, chocolate hair with a bright red bow accessory in her hair, and a blue dress, ran up to Izumo. "I can help you with that!" The little girl said with a friendly smile._

_Izumo hesitated but said it anyways. "If you talk to me, they'll gossip about you too."_

_The girl looked back at the group of kids she called 'friends', they were giving her dirty looks. She looked at Izumo with an unworried smile._

_"I don't care, they weren't really my friends to begin with," the girl giggled, then grabbed some books off Izumo's arms. "Here, I'll help you!"_

_Izumo couldn't help but smile. She didn't remember the last time she smiled like that. She missed that feeling of happiness and acceptance, and she finally found it again._

_"...Thank you," Izumo replied calmly._

_"My name's Paku, by the way! What's yours?" Paku asked as they walked down the school hallway._

_"Izumo, nice to meet you. I gotta warn you, I can be crazy," Izumo giggled._

_"Don't worry, we all are!" Paku joined in and giggled._

"Just trust me, Paku!" Izumo said happily as she clutched her best friend's hands.

Paku's atmosphere remained somber as she spoke softly, "um, Izumo-chan..." Her head bowed down, her heart sank a little as she thought of something.

Izumo smiled, "yah?"

"I think I'm going to quit cram school."

Izumo's heart dropped. And it shattered into hundreds of jagged pieces. Those words, especially by her best friend, Izumo felt like she got punched in the stomach.

"What?" Izumo squeaked, her chest felt tight and her throat felt dry.

"I don't understand the lessons, and I would never keep up in a battle," Paku spoke sadly, without a sign of her usual, optimistic attitude.

Izumo's heart jumped. "But, like I said! I'll help—"

"No, that's not what I want," Paku interrupted as she shook her head. "I don't like what you've been doing, Izumo-chan. I don't like to make fun of people. Moriyama-san, and Tanaka-san—you know better how to treat others."

Izumo felt her heart drop in her chest from a pang of remorse.

Amitiel looked down on the ground, a sense of relief washed over her as she breathed out. Finally, someone was willing to spit out the truth to Izumo. But will it destroy Izumo's friendship with Paku, her only best friend?

"I'm sorry if this came too sudden, but you must understand, Izumo-chan," Paku formed a weak smile.

"I-I'm..." Izumo felt tears sprout under her eyes, but she shut them and looked away. She couldn't possibly look into Paku's innocent indigo eyes, not when hers were guilty. "I-I'm sorry—"

"It's time." Amitiel unsheathed her blades as she stepped out from behind the lockers. She was only in her underwear and sports bra, just like Izumo. She felt the demon approaching, and it was time to take action before these girls get hurt.

"Tanaka-san?" Paku squeaked. "Were you—" Paku got interrupted when she felt a thick fluid drop on her cheek. Izumo and Paku slowly looked up, trailing to the source of the fluid, until their eyes laid on something that provoked them to scream.

* * *

The girls' screams travelled throughout the building, until those shrills reached down the hallway and into Rin's ears. Rin, catching the sound of despair, immediately grabbed the back of Shiemi's collar and stopped abruptly, forcing a surprised Shiemi to obey as well. As soon as they were standing, Rin dashed back towards the bathrooms, answering the familiar cries of the girls.

"That sounds like Kamiki-san and Paku-san!" Shiemi cried.

"Go tell Yukio! Now!" Rin commanded as he ran. His heart began to thump so hard it felt like it was knocking at his ribs. He knew Hana was there, as well as Izumo and Paku. Rin began to realize that Hana's prediction was probably right.

_How did she know?_ A curious Rin asked himself.

Shiemi stood, perplexed yet amazed from Rin's instantaneous decision. Without even hesitating, he runs towards a situation that she deemed dangerous. She knew it would take so much courage to run straight towards harm. She knew she must try, if it meant helping others like Rin.

_How... how can he be so strong?_

Perhaps, in order to help save lives, Shiemi has to put her own life on the line. Shiemi built up her courage and followed the other teen. "Rin! Don't leave me!" Shiemi cried.

* * *

"Paku!" Izumo screamed as Paku passed out and fell down onto the wooden floor when the demon jumped off the ceiling and landed above Paku. The demon was dripping in fluids from the cuts and gashes throughout its body, which were stitched up poorly. All the limbs were from different animals. This demon was basically a messed up puzzle of animal limbs covered in sickly coloured skin. Its head was covered by a bag of skin on top, which was ripped in front of its face, revealing its dead eyes and sharp canines. The other head appeared to be closed up by stitches throughout its head. Fluid was dripping from throughout the demon's flesh. Some spilled onto the ground around it, causing the wood to disintegrate and smoke. Some also spilled all over Paku' arms, causing the fabric of her sweater to smoke and her skin began to necrotize, turning from a healthy cream to a putrid black-purple. The smell of rotten flesh filled Izumo's nose and she vomited a little in her mouth.

"I'll save you!" Izumo screamed as she fetched into her bag and pulled out her summoning papers. Izumo shouted confidently, "_Inari, I humbly beseech thee—_"

Izumo screamed and was suddenly dragged out of the room. Amitiel's hand grabbed Izumo's arm and she hurled her out of the room with her. She bashed through the door and led her down the hall.

"Hey! What are you _doing_!?" Izumo stopped Amitiel and she ripped herself out of the angel's iron grip and ran back towards the bathrooms.

"Why would you— Izumo!" Amitiel shouted and grabbed her and clasped her whole body by wrapping her arms around her and carried her away. Izumo punched and screamed and Amitiel dropped her.

"I have to save her! She's my best friend! I won't abandon her!" Izumo shouted furiously at Amitiel.

"Listen to me. This isn't worth losing you to that demon. I have to do what I must, and that means saving you," Amitiel said calmly as she held Izumo's shoulders. Izumo tensed then shuffled herself free. Amitiel looked at Izumo with a threatening look in her dark eyes. "It's too late for Paku, her body is probably going into necrosis by now. Now please…"

Izumo was flabbergasted and shocked._ How... how can she be so calm... isn't she scared?!_ Izumo also noticed her touch on Izumo's arm didn't shake at all.

There was short pause before Amitiel said "go."

Izumo grit her teeth hard and snarled furiously at the angel. "No. Unlike you, I actually care about others. The one who is a coward... is_ you!_" Izumo pushed Amitiel away from her and ran back to the bathrooms. This time Amitiel didn't follow.

Amitiel stood shocked. _They're not even related...yet she treats Paku like a part of her..._ Amitiel thought as she watched Izumo run towards the bathrooms, her purple pig tails flew rapidly in the air behind her. _I don't get this... what's wrong with her? Why would she throw her life in jeopardy just to save a friend she could replace?_ Amitiel was confused.

Amitiel frowned and turned back against the bathrooms and stalked away, sheathing her blades back in their sheaths, as she abandoned Izumo and Paku—leaving them to die alone.

"_Inari, I humbly beseech thee—_" Izumo shouted as she ran. "_Answer my prayers, leave none unfulfilled!_"

Izumo's fox spirits, Uke and Mike, appeared in a fog of smoke and took solid form. They both ran with their master and entered the room to hell.

"Paku! I'm gonna—!" She was about to command her familiars when she stopped suddenly. She let out a small gasp when she looked at Paku, remembering her best friend's hurtful words repeating in her head.

_I don't like making fun of people, Izumo-chan_, Paku's voice echoed in Izumo's head.

The familiars realized their master's weakened will.

"_What is this?_" Mike noticed. Izumo backed up suddenly as panic rose in her. "_Thy wavering heart...is not worthy of our aid!_" The fox named Uke shrieked. Both foxes flashed their sharp canines as they turned against their master and charged. Izumo screamed and covered her face. She couldn't see it, she didn't want to see her failure. She didn't want to see what will happen next. It was the end.

The foxes screamed as a flash of blue light blinded them for a mere second and a fist hit them both in their snouts. The foxes were blown away from the incredible force. Izumo opened her eyes to find Rin Okumura standing tall before her. Her petite body was on its knees, and her blood-stained papers were scrunched tightly in her trembling hands.

Rin spun around and pointed at the papers in Izumo's trembling hands, "rip the circle!"

Izumo was in too much shock to understand what he shouted. Her only response was her wide, petrified red eyes.

"The papers! Rip 'em! Now!" Rin shouted again.

Izumo looked down in her hands and realized what he was talking about. She quickly ripped them and the foxes disappeared in white smoke.

Rin turned around and faced the growling demon. _Damn it, now what?_ Rin cursed, stumped on thinking of a strategy to kill the demon without drawing his sword and revealing himself in front of Izumo.

"Hey, where's Hana?!" Rin shouted when he recognized her absence.

"She's useless. She ran away." Izumo grit her teeth in pure anger.

_What?!_ Rin shouted in his head._ How could she..._

_But she couldn't have..._ Rin shook his head, then he realized something else. _...She's in her underwear..._ Rin remarked about Izumo and his cheeks flushed into a rose red. He tried not to allow his curiosity from turning his head back.

"Rin!"

Rin jolted, very familiar with that voice. Rin felt his heart drop and he and Izumo spun around and came face to face with a girl in a bright floral kimono.

"Shiemi!? What the hell? I told you to get Yukio!" Shouted Rin.

Shiemi ignored Rin when she noticed an unconscious and wounded Paku on the floor. "Paku-san!" Shiemi gasped, gazing in horror at the burns on the girl's arm. "Rin! You distract the demon while I treat Paku!"

Rin shrugged his shoulders. He jumped up while removing his sword over his shoulder without sheathing it and shouted, "Easier said than done!" The sword smacked the demon on one of its heads.

The demon stumbled back, taking many steps away from Paku. Rin ran around the demon, drawing its attention away from the girls to himself, "this way, you ugly piece of shit!" Rin yelled.

Izumo watched silently as Shiemi kneeled down beside the unconscious girl, inspecting the wounds on Paku as Izumo sat, kneeling on the floor, shaking uncontrollably from shock.

"This looks like a burn!" Shiemi said as she trailed her eyes around the wounds.

"It's a Ghoul's temptaint!" Izumo shouted. "I'll necrotize in minutes!" Izumo cried in panic.

Shiemi gasped, "then she needs emergency treatment!" Shiemi bit her nail as she thought, "to treat a burn you need..." Shiemi dug deep into her brain for the answer, trying to remember her answers on the test she failed. "Mr. Sancho!" Shiemi cried out. Shiemi's tiny familiar hopped off her shoulder and produced aloe from it's leafy body. Shiemi was shocked from amazement, also glad she immediately had what was necessary to save Paku.

"Huh?! That's _aloe_!" Izumo corrected. Yet she had to admit she was amazed by Shiemi's familiar's ability.

Nearby, Rin was still conjuring a way to harm the demon. No matter how hard he hit it with his sword, it didn't cause any injuries besides possible bruises. He can never turn to the solution of drawing his sword.

_Not yet..._ Rin thought as he closed his eyes. The navy-haired boy snapped out of his trance when he realized the demon groaned something.

"_My... prince..._" It growled slowly and deeply.

"The hell?" Rin looked at it in confusion. Suddenly he lost his breath when the demon grabbed his head with its large claw and hurled him through the glass wall to the showers. Rin screamed so loud while the wall shattered and millions of pieces showered the whole room, sprinkling the floor with crystals of glass. Rin hit the ground hard and the demon pounced on top of him, driving its hand straight at Rin's throat, as it began choking him slowly to death.

"Rin!" Shiemi shouted as she noticed he was in despair.

"_My prince...I... apologize...but I...only do...as my master...bids me..._" The demon hissed slowly.

The only thought Rin brought up was clear. _Satan?_ Rin thought while he choked. _Why would he want to kill me now?_ Rin said to himself as he tried to break himself free, yet the demon's grip was too strong, and his life was slowly draining out. He began to feel dizzy and his vision began to blur suddenly.

_I can't...do this..._ Rin, using a small portion of his strength left, began reaching over to his sword beside him, which was almost out of his reach.

_I can't... win...like this..._ Rin's fingers touched his sword when suddenly the demon screeched loudly and freed Rin. Rin gasped for air and sat up, then took a look behind the demon and he saw Amitiel, her hand outstretched towards the demon. Rin noticed one of her blades was driven into the demon's back. Black blood oozed out and leaked out from the wound. There was also a sizzling smoke emitting from the wound from the blade.

"Release him, demon," Amitiel flashed her threatening eyes on the demon.

"Tanaka-san!" Shiemi cried out.

"Don't you dare hurt any of them," Amitiel warned.

"H... Hana! Where the hell did you come from?!" Rin shouted then coughed. He also noticed she was in her undergarments.

"Rin, I got this," Amitiel said as she looked straight at the demon. "Run away, plea—"

The demon growled and turned its attention on Amitiel. Rin looked at Amitiel while he was still laying on the ground. His cobalt blue eyes observed her as the demon charged at her on all fours. Amitiel tried to dodge aside and retrieve her blade from the demon's back, but instead, the demon caught her movements and used its tail and whipped it at her from behind, sending her off course and crashing onto the glass covered floor.

"Hana—!" Rin shouted but was cut off and he gagged from being choked. He stood up and grabbed his sword, then built up the strength to attack.

Amitiel stood back up, without a sign of being hurt. "Don't interefere, Rin! Take the others and GO!" Amitiel screamed. There were small cuts on her cheeks and body from the broken glass, but she ignored it all as the demon prepared to lay another assault. Amitiel ducked when the demon whipped its claw at her, then she took the chance and drove her blade in the demon's abdomen. Amitiel hissed when blood splashed all over her stomach and legs. The wounds were beginning to necrotize, but her healing ability was also fighting to prevent the wounds from spreading. The monster screamed loudly and grabbed Amitiel by her throat with its claws and lifted her off the ground.

The demon groaned in a demonic language that she, unfortunately, understood. "_... Human... you... must... die..._" The demon growled. Amitiel shut her eyes and the demon hurled her against the wall like a bag of sack. The wall cracked where she hit it and Amitiel lost unconsciousness and fell on the ground. Bits of glass left cuts all over her skin.

"I'll kill you, you rotting bastard!" Rin screamed and he grabbed the hilt of his sword and began to pull just in time after loud shots were heard and bullets showered the demon, piercing right through its whole body. Black blood gushed and sprayed out of the wounds and the demon began to retreat. Everyone gasped and the demon escaped through the skylight on the ceiling.

Rin and the others turned around to find Yukio, his gun pointed where the demon had stood. The barrel smoked on his gun and Yukio huffed.

"Nii-san!" Yukio put his gun in its holster and rushed to his brother, who was on his knees.

Rin used his sword to support himself as he stood up. "Yukio, you sly bastard... what the hell took you so long?" He shouted.

"Are you alright?" Yukio asked as he helped him up.

"I'm fine, thanks," Rin spat.

"Yuki-chan!" Shiemi cried out. Yukio spun around and rushed to Paku's aid. She was unconscious, and Shiemi had applied some aloe on her burns all over her cheek and arms.

"I-I tried to save her!" Shiemi covered her mouth as Yukio observed her treatment and touched his fingers against Paku's neck. Shiemi brought her hands close to her face as tension was heavy in the air.

Yukio withdrew his fingers from Paku's neck, and he sighed in relief. "Thank goodness, Shiemi-san. You've treated Paku correctly."

Shiemi's heart skipped and a sense of joy washed through her. She shot him a radiant smile as she replied, "oh thank goodness!"

Shiemi heard a raspy voice coming from Paku. She was barely awake but was able to say only a few words—words Shiemi will always remember as a reward for saving a life. "Moriyama-san... Thank you..." Paku smiled weakly.

Shiemi smiled warmly, "no problem!"

"Hana!" Yukio ran to Amitiel, who was still unconscious on the ground. He shook her then checked her pulse. She was alive. Yukio sighed.

"Hana? Wake up," Yukio said. He felt her move a bit, then suddenly he found her blade straight at his throat.

"Go back to the darkness, demon!" She shouted at a surprised Yukio.

"Yukio!" Rin shouted when he realized Amitiel was wide awake, with her blade against Yukio's throat.

Before Rin could say something, Amitiel recognized Yukio immediately and dropped her blade on the ground. "Okumura-sensei, my apologies!" Amitiel bowed down sincerely. Rin stopped and sighed in relief. He was surprised Yukio was calm about the fact she was in her underwear and bra. Rin had trouble avoiding his gaze from looking at Izumo and Amitiel. But for Shima to see this..._ oh god._

"Hana-san... Remember what I told you?" Yukio said.

"I thought you were the demon—" Amitiel cut herself off when she stood up and searched the room, her blade gripped in her bloodied hand.

"Where's the demon?"

Yukio stood up. "It escaped. Hana-san—"

Amitiel stopped and looked at her hands, they were bloody from the glass cutting through them. Some shards were stuck in her skin. However, it didn't hurt her.

"I'll have your hands cleaned up when I transfer Paku to the school hospital." Yukio lifted her hands up gingerly and observed her palms and forehands. "Did you get any of the demon's blood on you?"

"Yes, but I'm fine," Amitiel replied. She saw her skin was sickly in some areas, especially her stomach. But her healing ability was already beginning to heal her body.

"No, you're not," Yukio noticed the burns. "Come with me, I'll apply some aloe on you too," Yukio frowned and checked on Paku.

Amitiel watched as Ryuji lifted Paku off the ground and carried her in his burly arms. As the students gathered around Paku and Shiemi, Rin walked up to the angel on the floor. Amitiel hugged herself to cover up her wounds.

The angel looked up to find Rin staring down at her and asked, almost infuriated, "where the hell did you go? Izumo told me you ran away, leaving us in complete danger!"

Amitiel paused for a moment, she clenched her hands despite the state they were in. She looked down on the floor and avoided his blazing blue eyes. "But I stopped and helped..." Amitiel spoke as she closed her eyes, "...when I heard you scream."

Rin was quiet from a bit of surprise.

"So I'm sorry, I won't abandon you again." Amitiel shook her head.

Rin blinked at her. His mouth opened and he had trouble closing it back up. He was shocked at what she said. He never expected her to actually come back and help them out, not when it seemed she only cared about herself. Rin's thoughts began to change about her. Is it possible she actually was trying to improve?

"No… thank you for coming back to help," Rin scratched his head, then he offered the angel his hand. "Just... Here." Amitiel looked at his hand. "C'mon, let's get you patched up. You look like hell."

Amitiel hesitated and latched onto Rin's hand. He blushed intensely. He was careful not to squeeze her hand too much. Some blood got on his hands, but he didn't care. He believed he already had blood on his hands to start with. His father's blood. He believed he got his friends' blood on him too. For some reason, he felt as if the demon was specifically tasked on attacking Rin. The only reason it may be so was Neuhaus' suspicious glance. A glance of pure, silent hatred.

Amitiel stayed with Yukio, and Rin thought things were under control now. Rin rested himself against the girls' locker and he breathed tiredly. He leaned his head against the locker and he slid down until he sat on the floor. He brushed his sweaty dark blue bangs back with his sore hands. Rin's moment was interrupted when he heard sniffles and sobs nearby. Rin looked around the corner of the locker to find Izumo Kamiki sitting behind. Her legs were brought up to her face, with her arms over them.

Rin stood up and checked on her. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you hur—"

"Don't look at me!" Izumo screamed and her whole body tensed up. Rin could see her eye under her bangs. They were bloodshot and tears rained down from them.

"I couldn't... I couldn't save my only friend. I couldn't do anything... she must hate me now!" Izumo choked up tears and sobbed heavily. Suddenly a T-shirt fell over her face and she stopped her sobbing. She looked up to find Rin, his whole torso exposed.

"Here, take it and go," Rin said and he turned around towards the door. Izumo looked at it and reluctantly took it.

Rin paused at the doorway when someone asked him in confusion, "Rin... why are you naked?" Yukio asked suspiciously, a little embarrassed.

Rin pursed his lips tightly and he looked around himself. He scratched the back of his head, feeling a little cool breeze touch his whole chest. "Um... I... got nothing to say." Rin smiled sheepishly. "It, um, got really hot in here, y'know. Plus this it what a change room's for, right? I have the right to take my clothes off when I want to, got it?"

Yukio made a face at him. "I don't even want to know your reasons for stripping down," he said.

Suguro looked around and noticed Rin, Izumo, and Amitiel were all missing at least one garment of clothes,

"Ok, what is it with you guys gettin' naked?!" He shouted, then he realized what he said came out very wrong.

"Well Bon, like Okumura-kun said: it is a change room..." Konekomaru stated.

"I-I think I'm supposed to put my clothes back on..." Amitiel said and walked over towards her locker.

"No, Hana-san." Shima smiled calmly. "Please... you don't need any clothes. Izumo... take off that shirt, please." Shima chuckled mischievously as he stared at Izumo and Amitiel. Izumo gave him a cold stare.

Amitiel didn't understand his perverted act and left her skirt off.

"SHIMA! WHY THE HELL DID YOU HAVE TO SAY THAT?!" Suguro barked in complete anger at the perverted boy, "HANA! PUT IT ON."

Rin smiled idiotically as he backed up towards the door without turning his back, the students unaware Rin was holding up something behind his back.

"Well, I just need to get myself a new shirt so..."

Rin ran out without finishing his sentence, leaving all the students speechless.

* * *

**A/N: This was a hard chapter to write. I tried not to make my OC seem overpowered compared to the others, but she does have more experience than the others(?)(well Shima and Rin have quite a bit too so...)**

**Let me know through a review what you think. Seriously, I can't stress this enough, but all writers crave reviews, it's the only way I can connect with my viewers and take into consideration their suggestions/critiques!**

**Some people may notice that my central theme for this WHOLE fanfic is about truth. In my opinion, truth is so prevalent in Blue Exorcist. For example, the truth about Rin being the son of Satan...the truth about Yukio hating his brother/himself...the truth about Shiro and his reason for saving Rin...there are many aspects in the volumes that focus on truth. I could seriously write an essay on why but I'm like "eh...maybe not" XD**

**For the next chapter: Yukio begins to feel suspicious towards Amitiel for a reason...**

**Again, updates will be monthly but i will try my best to submit chapters ASAP. If you wanna keep in touch, my DA account is still active so check it out (link is on my profile)!**


	12. Chapter 11: Causatum

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 11: Causatum**_

* * *

**The faint sound of the birds' chirps could be heard from outside of the dorm's bathroom.** Rin was busy brushing his teeth silently. The only sound he listened to was the running water out of the tap and the gurgle of the drain as the water spiraled down into the pipes. The sinks were basically large, deep square holes in a large block of cement decorated with dark, glossy sapphire tiles. There was a long metal stand nailed above the sinks against the wall used to hold things such as Rin's toothbrush and cup. The bathrooms seemed eerily silent, but Rin could hear the girls' cries ringing in his head and the sound of smashing glass and blood splattering on the floor. The demon's almost unintelligible words whispered darkly in Rin's ear, haunting him.

Rin winced and noticed he was beginning to brush too hard against his teeth. He pulled out his toothbrush and the white bristles were stained with a faint red. Rin tasted metal and fetched the cup on the counter. He gurgled the water and swished it around in his mouth. He spat out water and blood, and the colour swirled around the water and followed it down the hole.

Suddenly a thought lingered into Rin's mind. Before this whole event, it was Hana who knew about the demon before anyone else. Did she enter the bathroom before anyone else? Why would she even allow Izumo and Paku to be in danger? Rin shook his head and remembered it was everyone who disregarded her warning.

Rin's face darkened as he stroked the bristles of the brush against his teeth, this time more softly. It was odd. If Hana hadn't been in the washrooms yet, then how could she possibly know? Rin argued with himself that he may be over-exaggerating about all of this, but still, the world isn't as normal as it appears to be.

Rin stopped brushing his teeth and spat in the sink. He noticed a figure stood right beside him by glancing at the mirrors. Rin jolted so hard that the cup he reached out tumbled and tipped over, releasing a nice puddle of water all over the counters.

"—God! Where the hell did you come from?" Rin asked harshly while still regaining his breath.

Amitiel merely looked beside him with very little sentiment, "I came to brush my teeth."

Rin blinked and exhaled. He was shocked, she was so quiet, and it was as if she appeared out of nowhere. Rin relaxed his muscles around his arms and he returned to brushing his teeth, glancing aside at the small, white bandages swathed around her hands.

"How're your hands?" Rin asked, he also noticed another bandage over the gash on her cheek.

Amitiel spit into the sink, turned on the faucet, and replied, "I always get them hurt, so I'm fine." Amitiel drank the water coming out of the tap and spit some out. When it comes to hunting demons, Amitiel would never come back clean and unharmed.

Rin nodded and brushed his teeth a few more times and spit in the sink again. "I used to get my hands hurt a lot, too," Rin replied, looking down on his hands. He knew he was always a troublesome child. He was so used to using his fists instead of his brain when he got into his multiple fights. He couldn't remember the last fight he had that didn't involve his fists. Rin called it daily routine when getting into one.

Amitiel rinsed her mouth and pulled her blades from their sheaths on her thighs. Dry, black blood caked the silvery blades.

"Ugh, gross, man," Rin commented in disgust.

"That's why I have to clean them," She said.

"Hey, before it was all shiny and pretty..."

Amitiel ran her blade under the running water, the blood washed off easily off the silver metal. It trickled down and followed the water into the form of a vortex and dropped down the drain.

Rin watched as Amitiel dried her now clean blade with her skirt and sheathed it. He noticed her hair was bunched up into a high bun and strands of it fell loose on her shoulders and cheeks. Her thick side bang was pinned up by a large red barrette, although the rest of it laid limp against the side of her bandaged face.

"Hana..." Rin began but was interrupted when he heard footsteps.

Amitiel and Rin both turned around and saw Izumo. Her long, straight purple hair was in the form of a single side pony and she wore a baggy purple top and khaki-coloured shorts.

"Good morning," Izumo said, a little without enthusiasm.

"Mornin'," Rin responded. Amitiel glanced at her then began packing her toothbrush and supplies.

Izumo walked towards the two and set her own bag down. Rin noticed Amitiel was preparing to leave before she said, "um, I'll see you later." Amitiel had planned some free time after brushing her teeth to explore the academy and search for the son of Satan.

Rin raised his finger to interrupt her but he let it drop down to his side, no words spoken from his lips.

Izumo just remained silent and tried to ignore Rin's presence. She distracted herself by commenting how dirty the bathrooms were. They appeared as if no one has cleaned them for years and cobwebs we're building up at the corners of some walls. The room she slept in even had a nasty crack in the window that made the wind rushing through it whistle loudly. So she moved to another room.

When Rin and Izumo were alone, she spoke in a low, quiet tone, "listen," Izumo fixed her eyes on Rin from aside. "Don't you dare tell anyone I was crying yesterday."

Rin raised his eyebrow in confusion after he wet his washcloth, "why would I?"

"Just shut up about that, okay?!" She shouted in irritation.

Rin jerked back at her sudden reaction. "Geez, you don't have to go all psycho!" Rin said. "I won't tell if it means a big deal to you."

"Here." Izumo said curtly.

Rin stopped washing his face with the cloth when something soft hit him in the face. Rin's light navy-blue shirt slid off his head and landed in his hands.

"Huh? My shirt," he said.

Izumo mumbled, trying to restrain her urge to blush, "t-thanks for lending it to me. Y-you..." Izumo swallowed. "You saved Paku and I." Izumo showed a bit of embarrassment on her face and looked away, "... so I'm thankful, okay?"

Instead of listening to Izumo's rare occasion of being nice, Rin couldn't help but notice something about his shirt. "Oh my God! You actually washed it!"

Izumo's embarrassment was drained away and she looked scornfully at a cheerful Rin, "huh?!"

"You really aren't a bad person, after all!" Rin smiled in glee.

Izumo's short eyebrows creased, "I... I..." Izumo shut her eyes and spun her head around as she replied harshly, "I only washed it 'cause it was dirty!"

Rin backed away.

_Whoa, I went a little too far._

"Good morning."

Izumo and Rin met eyes with Yukio on the steps, all dressed in his usual exorcist uniform with his chocolate brown hair combed so neatly no strands went out of place. Yukio's calm, turquoise eyes laid on Rin and Izumo and he smiled warmly.

"Morning, bro!" Rin greeted warmly.

* * *

Rin, Izumo, and Amitiel all observed as Yukio injected an antidote into a sleepy Paku, who was resting in her bed. Her head was wrapped in a long bandage for when she hit her head when she passed out. She also had one on the part of her cheek that came into contact with the demon's fluids. The sweet smell of aloe lingered in the air a while after Yukio dabbed more aloe solution on Paku's wounds on her arms and legs. When Yukio finished and disposed of the needle in a portable, yellow disposal box, he said, "there you go. In around two or three days your fever should break and you'll be back on your feet again."

Yukio put away his equipment in a small case as he added, "make sure you get plenty of rest, and keep yourself well hydrated by drinking lots of fluids."

"Thank you, Okumura-sensei," Paku whispered softly as she closed her eyes. Her voice was so gentle and calm Izumo thought her friend would fall back asleep in minutes.

Yukio then turned towards Amitiel, "mind if I check on your hands?"

Amitiel shrugged her shoulders and held her hands out, "go ahead." Izumo was a little annoyed that she had to also come with Yukio as she was also injured in the incident. But just the mere presence of her infuriated Izumo, ever since she abandoned her and Paku when they were in danger.

Amitiel knew she would be able to remove these annoying bandages. Her wounds healed minutes later after the incident, but it was troublesome.

Yukio offered Amitiel a chair and she sat on it. Yukio kneeled down and took Amitiel's hands. Rin and Izumo watched as he began to gingerly unwrap the long bandages around her hands. He did notice that her skin, which had some cuts on them before, was completely fine—no trace of a cut, bruise, or even a scar. Yukio barely frowned in wonder until he completely removed the bandages.

Rin saw them. Amitiel's hands were unharmed; no blood; no cuts; no scars—nothing. Compared to what he saw before they were treated, this looked as if _nothing_ had happened.

"Don't worry, it's normal," Amitiel said calmly as if it was normal.

Yukio swallowed and blinked in surprise, "well... I guess you have no need for these anymore." Yukio looked down at the bandages in his hands, which were barely bloodied. Only mild, dark brown patches of dry blood stained the snow-white material.

Amitiel sighed and added, "good, then I don't need this stupid thing either." Amitiel ripped the bandage off her cheek and there revealed more unharmed skin. Yukio's eyes were wide in shock, as well as Rin and Izumo's.

Rin laid his eyes on Amitiel's hands and then his gaze climbed up to her calm, unharmed face as she thanked Yukio. There was something similar between her and Rin. His whole life, Rin also possessed an unusually fast healing ability, which became useful since he got into fights a lot.

But he knew it was abnormal, almost inhuman. And because of this, he began to question something about the girl named Hana Tanaka—but also about himself.

Izumo watched, wearing the same shocked expression that Yukio had. Paku, on her part, was too calm to even notice, probably due to the medicine's effects.

Yukio grabbed his equipment and stood up. He spoke one last time before he would leave, "well, both of you are doing _miraculously_ well. I'm very glad you two will be okay." Yukio forced a smile.

Paku smiled in gratitude, "thank you, Okumura-sensei."

"See you, Paku." Rin smiled and followed Yukio out of the room. He looked back at Amitiel one last time before he walked out. The only thought plaguing his mind was her healing ability.

* * *

Rin and Yukio walked down one of the many school hallways. As per usual, students flooded the halls which made it difficult for Rin and Yukio to avoid bumping into one. Rin brought up a question to try to distract himself from his doubt for Amitiel, "what the hell was that demon attack all about, anyway?"

Yukio responded, "I am not entirely sure. I'm investigating its entry route and whereabouts. I was able to identify it as a mid-level Naberius."

Rin's face hardened, "wait. Didn't you say this place contained demon-warding charms?"

Yukio shot a surprised glance and raised his eyebrows. "You actually remembered. I am impressed."

Rin spat, "you're mocking me again..."

Yukio sighed. "You're right, but occasionally, some demons get lucky or are powerful enough to resist the seals' power and make it through. All we can do for now is be vigilant." Yukio said as he looked ahead in the hall.

Yukio then brought something else up, "you saw what I saw."

"Ya think?" Rin said, immediately recognizing what he was referring to.

"Have you noticed anything else strange about Tanaka-san?" Yukio asked.

"Besides her abnormal healing?" Rin said, then answered, "she knew about the demon attack before it even happened."

Yukio gave a nod and looked ahead, his eyes narrowed as he thought suspiciously.

* * *

Paku giggled, "they're so cool. Aren't the Okumuras so cool? Do you think they're cool?"

Izumo's cheeks flushed to the color of her ruby red eyes, "W-what?! Are you serious? Where did you get that from?!"

"They're so amazing. They're twins, but they don't even look like twins. I think Okumura-kun's cute, so is Okumura-sensei. Right, Tanaka-san?" Paku grinned.

"They're just humans," Amitiel responded. "But..." Amitiel trailed away and quickly thought something out. "... but they're good humans."

Izumo crossed her arms and said something. She tried her best not to sound vicious in front of Paku. "I wanna be alone, with Paku." Izumo looked away from Amitiel's bland face.

"As you wish," Amitiel retreated and walked towards the door, until she stopped herself. "But..."

Izumo raised an eyebrow as Amitiel faced Izumo.

"I just... want to apologize to you." Amitiel bowed her head.

Izumo snorted and looked away, as if brushing away her apology. "Heh, that won't make up for what you almost did to Paku."

"It was because what I thought I did was right. However, now I feel as if my method wasn't as sufficient when it comes to saving people but..." Amitiel forced herself to keep her attention on Izumo without looking away. "Kamiki-san," the angel asked softly. "Why are you so attached to someone who isn't even related to you? You even sacrifice your own life for her."

"It's called "friendship"?" Izumo frowned in confusion.

"Friendship..." Amitiel blinked and paused. "How does it feel?"

Izumo scoffed. "I can't believe you. You really are just as clueless as Moriyama..."

"Do we have a friendship?" Amitiel blurted aloud.

"What?! We don—!" Izumo stopped herself when Paku's words echoed in her head.

_I don't like making fun of people._

Izumo hesitated to look away from Amitiel's gaze."...Sure, make that acquaintances." Izumo made a small huff, and she surprised herself when she found herself having the urge to raise the corners of her mouth.

"I see," Amitiel said with her eyes closed. "Thank you."

"Whatever," Izumo said with a wave of her hand away. Amitiel stood still for a moment which created awkward silence between her and Izumo, but then she decided to bring something else up.

"Izumo, I also wanted to say I underestimated you."

"What?" Izumo's pig-tails swung as she turned her head to the angel.

"I never expected all of you to be so strong..." Amitiel wavered her gaze between Izumo and Paku. "You seem to all have different views from me, and I feel tempted to follow your ideals."

"Well, we all feel that saving others is right. Would you seriously leave someone to die?" Izumo frowned.

"I will try to save people. This time I will," Amitiel announced and she straightened herself up as if she was going into battle.

Izumo bit the inside of cheek. "Good, 'cause I don't want you to make the same mistakes. I would never leave my friends, especially my family behind without trying." Izumo stopped herself and the image her own family formed at the back of her mind, clear as if looking through glass. And guilt as strong as her hatred towards... _them._

"It must be nice to have freedom of choice..." Amitiel said, her voice dropped.

_What an eccentric girl..._ Izumo thought. But she could swear there was a hint of sadness in her voice.

Without saying anything else, Amitiel turned her back on Izumo and walked out of the room. Izumo still looked back at the doorway Hana walked out a second ago. It surprised Izumo, actually. Whatever this girl said was out-of-character to Izumo. She expected some sort of heartless backlash when she asked her to leave but instead... It felt as if Hana opened up a glimpse of her true colours to Izumo—of all people.

"I like Tanaka-san, she's really calm and honest. Maybe she can become our friend!" Paku giggled cheerfully, but Izumo couldn't stop her gloomy, sad look in her eyes.

_...'Our friend,' huh?_ Izumo felt her heart cringe. _... But you're _my_ friend, Paku..._ Izumo bowed her head slightly as shame and guilt overwhelmed her.

"Paku..." Izumo spoke sadly. Her straight purple bangs hid the tears in her eyes.

"Izumo-chan... I made my decision. I'm quitting cram school." She smiled weakly, despite her words made Izumo's heart drop.

"I'm so sorry for what happened. If only I was stronger...you wouldn't be—" Izumo couldn't go on anymore and she choked back tears.

Paku looked at Izumo with her warm, calming eyes. "What are you talking about? Izumo-chan, you don't have to change. Just because I'm dropping out doesn't mean we can't be friends anymore—it just didn't suit me, that's all."

Paku smiled. "I love you just the way you are, Izumo-chan."

* * *

"_My prince...I...apologize...but I...only do...as my master...bids me..._"

Rin stopped the demon's eerie words from replaying in his mind. He decided to only think about the fluffy white clouds slowly drifting by his sight in the bright blue sky. The sun shone its heavenly light delicately onto his skin. Rin felt the cool breeze brush through his dark blue strands as he laid his back on the concrete rooftops of the dorm. Rin cursed at himself when he gave up trying to ignore those words. He began contemplating the real reason the demon attacked him and the others. It was obvious this demon was sent to hunt someone—that someone was him.

_Master?_ Rin thought in confusion, a little disappointed the demon hadn't revealed its "master's" name—it would make it so much easier for him.

_I thought it was Satan... but why would he try to kill me now_? Rin frowned as he stared at the clouds moving by at a slow pace.

A hazy image of his father flashed in his mind, and with it his sincere words: _all demons from across the world will now seek you out for their own agendas._

"Damn..." Rin tsked. He was absolutely sure the demon was after him, but so many unnecessary injuries were caused because of it, all of which would have been prevented.

Rin's heart sank when he thought about Paku. If only he kept his distance from those students, no one would have gotten hurt—Paku wouldn't have gotten hurt. Rin grit his teeth in anger. "If it was after me... Why didn't it take me on instead of hurting everybody else?"

"Hi, Rin!" Shiemi appeared in Rin's view over his face, shadowing it from the sunlight.

Rin felt his whole skull vibrate when his head collided against Shiemi's. The screaming duo both toppled over each other while clasping their foreheads. Shiemi's basket of laundry hit the ground, but luckily no clothes flew out.

"Ow! Why'd you friggin' poke your face into my face, dummy?!" Rin shouted in pain.

"Why'd you sit up, dummy!" Shiemi cried, her pale delicate hands were on her forehead. Rin breathed out and tried to regain himself, but noticed the basket of laundry.

"What are you doing?" Rin asked as he observed the basket. It seemed there were blankets in there.

"I came to hang up some laundry!" Shiemi said with a smile as she tucked a strand of her short, silvery blond hair behind her small ear. She picked up the basket and walked over to the clothesline. Rin remained sitting on the hot concrete ground.

Shiemi was about to pin something up but spun her head around to Rin. "Wanna help?" She smiled.

"W...whoa!" Rin cried out as his sheets flapped violently in the breeze, enveloping him in their soft embrace. Rin tried to prevent the sheets from flying away. Luckily, the wind gave him mercy and died down.

"Whew..." Rin breathed in relief. "That was like wrestling with a demon."

Shiemi giggled.

"Hey, why are you even washing everyone's sheets?" Rin felt the material, then he added, "wait, this is my bed sheet..." He looked at Shiemi. "That has got to be the bravest thing you will ever do in your life." Rin chuckled, since he never really washed his sheets unless Yukio demanded him.

"I just wanted to help the others, y'know? That's... my way of getting stronger." Shiemi bent over and picked up two wooden clothespins and pinned them up on the sheets.

"Yah, about that..." Rin trailed off but forced himself to finish. "... Shiemi, you're not really thinking of becoming an exorcist, do you?"

Shiemi stopped fixing the sheets and rested her hands on the surface. "I don't really know, Rin..." Shiemi bowed her head down, her delicate strands of blond hair waved in the breeze. "This idea of helping others really intrigues me, but at the same time... I'm scared I'm not strong enough to help or be of any use."

Rin looked at her with an overly confident smile "Of course you're helping! You saved Paku, don't you get it? Without you, she would've died!"

Shiemi looked at Rin with her gentle green eyes. "R-really...?" She blushed intensely.

"Duh!" He said. "You definetely have the strength of being an exorcist."

Shiemi thought to herself, reflecting on what Rin said. Rin smiled when Shiemi also smiled.

"Thank you, Rin."

_Maybe... I _can_ become an exorcist._

* * *

"The demon must be a clue, then."

Amitiel leaned her weight onto a wall beside Raziel, who merely stood in front of the shining glass of the window, overlooking the busy cityscape of Tokyo below him. Amitiel and Raziel were in one of the hallways of the academy, not far from the hallway leading to Paku and Izumo's room. Amitiel had planned on making her way back to her dorm, but that was when she spotted Raziel standing in the middle of the tunneling hallway, purposely stopping her in her tracks. His hands were in the pockets of his black dress-pants and his face was crossed with his usual, unmotivated look. His forest green eyes glazed over her figure as she approached him. She knew by the look in his eyes what he was going to talk about.

"It was after us for a reason," Amitiel crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from Raziel, instead observing the students walking by her.

"Was it after you?" Raziel questioned while gazing out the window. His hands were locked behind his back.

"Well, it was after the students for sure," Amitiel responded. The image of the demon and its words rang in her ears. "But before that—its intentions are still unknown," Amitiel shook her head. "It could be that the demon passed through the barriers by accident—"

"Or it was sent because its master wanted to destroy someone."

Amitiel had the urge to look at the archangel in his eyes. "Then who?"

"Perhaps you."

"Me?"

Raziel breathed out. "If it is confirmed its target is you, then that means its master knows what your plan is—"

"—and wants to stop me." Amitiel finished his sentence, then she finally realized what he was implying. Amitiel swallowed. "... What if it's him? What if the son of Satan knows who I am?"

Raziel grinded his teeth together. "Then you must be cautious, Amitiel. My advice to you is to uncover who is responsible for the demon's attack." Amitiel looked up at him, and Raziel made eye contact with her empty brown eyes. "The demon may be our direct link to the son of Satan if that is its master, and when you follow it and eventually reach him—"

"I'll terminate him before he could even move a muscle." Amitiel whipped her attention away from his gaze, cutting him off.

"Yes, that is right. And the world will be free of destruction." Raziel sighed, as if in relief.

Amitiel looked around herself, hesitant. "...Right."

"Oh... And one more thing."

Amitiel felt a slight jump in her stomach. "Yes?"

"I have observed you carefully, you do know that, Amitiel?" Raziel straightened himself up, tensing up the muscles in his arms. "The decisions you make, your actions... I have watched you closely, and I realize something."

"What?" Amitiel almost spun her head at Raziel, her blond strands waved in the air.

"You have become... Quite acquainted with the apprentices, Amitiel. Almost too much." What Raziel said provoked a frown to Amitiel's face, yet her eyes remained untouched by his words.

"What are you talking about?" Amitiel said, almost curtly. "I have nothing between them, do not suspect that they are preventing me from achieving Heaven's goal. They are my sources for gathering information. Nothing will stop me, Raziel, _nothing_."

"Then why did you struggle so much to save them?" Raziel gazed down aside to Amitiel's face. Amitiel stayed silent. "That stopped you from exorcising the demon, correct? Your mission is far more valuable than the lives of those apprentices. The world's population lies in the brink of destruction if you do not successfully kill the son of Satan because of a few humans." Anger brewed in his voice. "Billions are worth more than a few."

Amitiel remained quiet, shuffling her body and placing her hands in the pockets of her pastel yellow uniform top.

"You are not here to live, Amitiel." Raziel furrowed his eyebrows and his sharp gaze drilled into Amitiel. "You are here to kill."

"I apologize, Raziel," was all she said.

* * *

"Kamiki, come up and complete this circle here," Neuhaus commanded and raised his bandaged hand towards the circular pentagram on the board. There were stains of bright red blood on the bandages, which indicated Amitiel that it is fresh blood.

No answer was expected from the girl Neuhaus was addressing. He paused and looked at the pig-tailed girl and saw her chin was resting on her hand and overall, she looked out of phase, as if daydreaming.

"Huh?" Izumo snapped out of her trance and looked around herself, recollecting where she is.

"Kamiki!" Neuhaus almost barked. "Come up and fill in this circle." He repeated more forcefully.

"Oh... okay," Izumo pushed her chair back and walked up to the chalkboard, she picked a small piece of chalk and began filling in the missing components of the pentagram.

Neuhaus relaxed when suddenly a hand raised itself up. He saw it was Hana's.

"Tanaka?" Neuhaus questioned.

Amitiel stood up and spoke, "have you heard about the demon attack that happened recently?" She tilted her head as if confused.

"Yes, I have. Why do you ask?" Neuhaus frowned suspiciously and crossed his arms.

"They said the demon was a Naberius. Do you know why someone would summon it to do such a thing? You are a tamer after all," Amitiel said, her gaze felt a little menacing to the instructor.

"That depends on the summoner's intentions, Tanaka," Neuhaus said then checked to see Izumo's progress, but realized she had stopped to listen, then continued on when he looked at her.

"Then their intentions were to harm one of us then," Amitiel looked around herself. Tension and uncertainty silenced the whole room. "That means..." Amitiel spoke. "One of us did it." Amitiel looked at Neuhaus, and it was obvious to him that she was looking at him with a threatening look in her dark eyes. It surprised Neuhaus that he felt intimidated by her mere presence.

Rin tensed his shoulders, he felt a knot in his throat that made it hard for him to swallow. Rin looked at Neuhaus and that strange, suspicious look he shot at Rin during that magic circles and seals class chilled him to the very soul. He felt as if Hana was catching on to who was responsible for the attack.

Neuhaus felt a cold chill course through his body from looking at Hana's cold, deathly stare. Even if it looked bland, it was so threatening it convinced the tamer about what she discovered.

_Does she know? _Neuhaus grit his teeth but didn't dare show it. _This girl..._

Izumo finished and put the chalk down. Her skin crawled and her body shook as she passed by Neuhaus like there was a cold temperature emanating from him. She sat back down and all she thought about was herself.

_... What's going on with me? I've been spacing out lately..._

During scripture recitation spells class, the same situation Izumo had with Neuhaus was only going to repeat itself over again.

"As studied in class, death verses are specific sentences in a holy scripture that, when read aloud in the presence of the specific demon, will force death upon it." The instructor said with a noticeably French accent. "Your homework was to memorize Te Deum." She added as a reminder.

To the students, she was quite an aging short, plump woman, decorated with fancy pearl necklaces over her exorcist cassock and glittering earrings on her saggy ears, as well as a cat resting around her shoulders (the students assumed it was some sort of demon familiar). Her hair looked like a batch of orange, curly clouds, with a small, feathered, dark-mahogany hat sitting on it. She puckered her lips painted with bright red lip gloss and turned her attention to a particular student.

"Suguro-kun—"

"I'll do it!" Izumo shouted and bolted up before Ryuji could even open his mouth. She knew it was just one time she spaced out in class, but that will not mean she will repeat that mistake again.

Izumo huffed and closed her eyes as she began to recite the passage, "_O God, we praise Thee, and acknowledge Thee..."_

Izumo opened her eyes, despair filled them as Izumo's heart dropped. "...acknowledge thee..." Izumo looked down, covering her eyes with her dark-violet bangs. She clenched her fists but relaxed when she spoke the truth. "Um...I-I forgot it."

The instructor gasped in surprise whilst covering her mouth with her stubby fingers covered in rings. "Oh my! Kamiki-san, this isn't like you at all!" She gasped.

_Damn it...why...?_ Izumo thought to herself as she frowned intensely at herself in shame.

"Suguro-kun, would you like to give her a hand?" The teacher turned her attention to the burly-looking teenager and he stood up while responding "yes, ma'am."

Ryuji recited without taking a breath, "_O God, we praise Thee, and acknowledge Thee to be the supreme Lord. Everlasting Father, all the earth worships Thee. All the Angels, the heavens and all angelic powers..._"

Izumo swore every student's mouth, including the instructor's, dropped straight to the floor.

"_... Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of Thy glory. The glorious choir of the Apostles, the wonderful company of Prophets, the white-robed army of Martyrs, praise Thee. Holy Church throughout the world acknowledges Thee: the Father of infinite Majesty..._"

Rin's eyes felt dry until he realized they popped up so much from such astonishment. Ever since he met Ryuji, he thought Ryuji's rebellious appearance only complimented his expected tough, mean-tempered personality. However, it was all wrong. Unlike the typical, uneducated punk, this guy twisted the concept of what was expected of an uneducated, rebellious guy. A guy like Rin.

"_...Thy adorable, true and only Son; also the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. O Christ, Thou art the King of glory. Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father..._"

Rin closed his mouth back up but after a few seconds his jaw dropped back down. Between Suguro's chants he heard another sound. A whisper. Rin looked around himself and looked at the hooded figure in the back, but he (or she) was still and dull as stone.

"_... When Thou tookest it upon Thyself to deliver man, thou didst not disdain the Virgin's womb. Having overcome the sting of death, Thou opened the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers..._"

Rin's ear caught the sound near Izumo, and there he found the source of the whisper. Ryuji was not the only one chanting. Amitiel's eyes were closed and her head remained low, shadowing her face with her long, blond bangs. More than that, he saw her lips moved at a much quicker pace than Ryuji, her lips moved differently as well, as if in a completely different language.

_Oh right...she speaks Latin. Damn her._

"_... Thou sitest at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father. We believe that Thou willst come to be our Judge..._"

Amitiel's lips moved so fast and suddenly Rin winced a little and he felt his chest was about to burn up. He coughed in his hand and she stopped and looked at him. Rin cleared his throat calmly and patted his chest with his fist to clear himself up. However, he started tasting something warm and metallic in his mouth. He observed his palm and a splatter of bright red blood stained his pale skin.

Rin's eyes no longer widened at Ryuji's astonishing recitation, but rather at the red fluid in his hand. Blood. His blood.

Rin tensed his shoulders and wiped the stuff on his black pants. No one could see it. He tried to act as if nothing unusual happened. Luckily, no one seemed to have noticed since they were hypnotized by Ryuji's recitation.

"_We, therefore, beg Thee to help Thy servants whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood. Let them be numbered with Thy Saints in everlasting glory._"

And with that said, silence filled the room as the result of speechlessness. Suddenly, a roar of claps rang around the class as every student applauded Ryuji's perfect execution.

"Spectacular work, Suguro-kun!" The exorcist applauded, impressed. After the class ended, everyone still praised Ryuji for his success.

"Suguro-kun is amazing, isn't he, Rin?" Shiemi beamed.

"Ah now, don't fall for me so easily!" Ryuji embraced his pride with a smirk as he waved his hand away from him.

Shima jumped in, "ignore him! Fall for me, I'll treat you better!"

"Holy crap! That was amazing! You really are smart, after all!" Rin clapped loudly with a wide grin.

Ryuji clenched his fist, "whaddya mean _after all_?!"

Konekomaru stepped in and held his friend's arm to keep him in place. "B-Bon, we don't need to start again, okay? We all know how talented you are at recitations."

Ryuji formed an angry grin, "so in other words, I'm _smart_, right?"

Konekomaru formed a nervous smile, "o-of course, Bon!"

"Is there some kind of technique in memorization, Suguro-kun?" Shiemi asked innocently, which caused Ryuji to blush.

"Well, uh, let's see..." Ryuji searched his gifted brain for an answer.

"Memorization is just false intelligence without any understanding," Izumo spat, unimpressed.

"What the hell did ya say!?" Ryuji heard and yelled across the classroom.

"I said memorization has no connection whatsoever with intelligence!" Izumo said with chin raised up in superiority.

Ryuji formed a sinister grin instead of throwing a fit. "Wow, coming from someone who can't even memorize a line, that's quite ironic."

Izumo grit her teeth and bolted up. "It's not that I can't remember! I-I just choose not to!" Izumo declared, trying to hide the truth with excuses. "Arias are completely defenseless when reciting, so they have to be protected by their party! They're nothing but useless baggage in a fight!"

At the sound of this, Ryuji also bolted up in defense, "what the hell? Are you seriously trashing an aspiring Aria in his face?" Ryuji stalked towards Izumo, who was also on the move.

"Oh, I'm _so_ scared! What are you gonna do about it? Hit me?" Izumo said sarcastically.

"I could never stand you just by looking at you. Don't you dare mock other people's dreams!" Ryuji shouted as he slammed his hand onto Rin's desk, which startled the blue-haired teen.

"Oh? You mean your goal in "defeating Satan"? I doubt there's any other joke worse than that." Izumo chuckled to herself and smiled sinisterly.

Amitiel furrowed her eyebrows, remembering when Ryuji declared his ambition back in physical education. Amitiel was speechless, to be honest. Is that literally his goal? A human, take on the Devil? Amitiel knew what would follow for Ryuji is death. Everyone here seemed to underestimate Satan. Amitiel knew what he is capable of, and if these students had her memories... Just thinking about his name would tremble their knees.

"You, a mere, weak human being, take on the _Devil_ himself?"

Ryuji spun his head straight towards the blond, apathetic girl. "Finally decided to open your mouth, eh?!"

"Live on with that despicable ambition and you're dead," Amitiel spat with a threatening look.

"I would die trying!" Ryuji clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned bleach white. "Quit actin' like your so above us! You should be scared!"

"I know what he's capable of. And believe me, he can kill with a snap of his fingers," Amitiel said, and everyone went silent as they looked at her. "Not even the highest exorcist can stop him, do you know why? Because he died while Satan possessed him after only a few minutes."

Rin felt his whole body and organs cringe.

"Even demons are fearful of him," Amitiel continued. "There is a reason why he is named the Destroyer, and he will destroy you in a wink of an eye, Ryuji. All I see in your future is a young death. He's no angel..." Amitiel paused and swallowed, "... not anymore."

"What?"

Rin had to admit he felt a little scared, as well as Ryuji. Her chilling words actually made Ryuji's whole body go numb and cold. Discourage drained away his remaining confidence in his ambition.

"At least I'm not the only one who thinks you're insane for becoming an exorcist for _that_," Izumo mocked.

"Really? Then what's your lame purpose for becoming an exorcist, huh?!" Ryuji raged, his face turned red. "Tell me!"

Izumo's ruby red eyes narrowed and darkened, "my purpose?" An indistinct projection of her past played in her mind until she shook her head and looked down, "... I've never told anyone my reasons... unlike attention seekers like you!"

Ryuji was on fire now. "You skinny little bitch!"

Ryuji yelled and gripped Izumo by the collar. Rin was about to break off the two. Izumo made a move to punch Ryuji, but at perfect, yet unlucky timing, hit Rin instead when he attempted to jump up between them to stop them.

"If you're going to brawl... DO IT SOMEWHERE ELSE!" Rin screamed in anger.

"_That's enough_!" A booming voice shook the room.

Everyone dropped their acts. Izumo and Ryuji distanced themselves. Ryuji frowned and Izumo stuck her tongue at him.

"What is the meaning of this?" A voice bellowed, which turned out to belong to Yukio. Every student dropped dead silent. Yukio crossed his arms and his eyebrows twitched in irritation, "that's _enough_, already."

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**A/N: Thank you so so much if you're still reading up to this point. Seriously I can't stress this enough, but I'm really happy that people are actually paying some interest into this story and actually leaving reviews! I am eternally grateful and I hope you'll stick with this story for a while.**

**I'm sorry if this was a little over due but school has been hard lately and I barely have any precious time to write this chapter, but I pulled through!**

**I'm gonna leave some updates on chapter statuses on my profile so that you may receive updates if a deadline was postponed etc... I know how it feels to wait for a chapter for a month, so sorry about that ^^'**


	13. Chapter 12: United by Blood

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

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_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 12: United by Blood**_

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**'What did I do to deserve this?' was one of the most frequent questions asked by all the students after Izumo and Ryuji's blow-out confrontation.** And since Yukio walked in on the fight, the look on his face scared Rin's soul out of his body.

As the result of Izumo and Ryuji's immature behaviour, every student's punishment was simply holding rocks. However, these rocks are no other than low-level demons. The only feature that distinguished these demons from ordinary rocks was the odd, disfigured faces on the rocks. Some had distorted smiles that looked worse than that of a psychopath's, a few had their mouthes in wide 'O's, as if they were about to let out a terrifying shrill, and others had their stone teeth gritted together. Their misaligned eyes were always locked on someone—someone they will likely crush in a few minutes.

Being forced to hold demonically possessed _rocks _made Amitiel very indignant.

_Get off me, before I break you..._ Amitiel threatened as her rock was weighing heavier down on her thighs.

"What the hell is up with these rocks?! They keep getting heavier!" Rin shouted in complaint.

"You don't even know what a _Bariyon_ is? Is there anyone alive that's dumber than you?" Ryuji jeered. He held a ringlet of Buddhist prayer beads in his hands and whispered a chant.

"Well, that will be Hana..." Rin said and shrugged his shoulders, forgetting about Ryuji's attempt to mock him.

"What?" Amitiel blurted out from Rin's derisive comment. "I helped you with your studying and judging from that time... You are one of the most unintelligent individuals I have ever seen on the face of this dimension."

Rin gave her a bored look as if he didn't understand a word she said, "so does that mean I'm stupid?"

Ryuji frowned in disgust, "man, you really are pathetic..."

"At least I'm not pathetic enough to throw a fight for no reason!" Rin blared.

Amitiel just remained silent as the students argued about useless subjects regarding the fight. Yukio remained on his feet, looking down at the students and rubbing his forehead with his hand. This really made Amitiel dislike humans in general. This constant shouting and arguing hurt her ears. They make compromise and forgiveness seem like an impossible decision.

"Why are we all punished?" Shima asked.

"It's called _collective responsibility_," Yukio said to break up the arguments and silence the students. "The objective of this boot camp is not only to bolster up your academic skills, but to aid you in strengthening your friendship," Yukio said as he pushed up his glasses.

Izumo spat, "I'd prefer to have normal people to make friends with. I'd rather die than get friendly with these jerks."

"Since when did I get involved with you, humans? This is why I prefer to be independent," Amitiel added, and crossed her arms in indignity.

"Then what will you rely on when you have no one to aid you in a real situation? Continue on with that attitude and you will be left for dead." Yukio sighed than raised his voice.

"No exorcist ever fights alone!"

The students' silent gazes were entirely on the teacher. All the arguments that occurred had died in a second the moment Yukio spoke up. "Honing each other's skills means compensating for shortcomings, and fighting in pairs or more is basic procedure. Such hassling will result in you getting killed."

Yukio sighed in disappointment, "I want you to seriously reflect on your words and actions... I want you to think about what is best for not only yourself, but also for your comrades. You are all here for the same reason. Getting familiar with your comrades will not only benefit you in battle, but it will strengthen you psychologically, which is what is ideal for an exorcist. You will have blood on your hands, students, but you don't want it to be a comrade's blood. So please... _Get along_."

The students all stayed silent with guilt. Izumo and Ryuji's eyes met, but not one of them showed any anger—just regret. They both swallowed and looked away, but shortly after, Izumo huffed and pushed one of her long purple pig tails back. All her regret was buried deep in her unconsciousness.

Yukio sighed, both in relief and exhaustion, when the students had quieted down. The exorcist checked his watch and added, "now, I have a minor assignment I need to do, so I will return in three hours. As to maintain the safety of you students due to the Naberius incident, I will lock the doors and install strong barriers."

"But...but what if I have to pee?!" Shima complained.

"Hold it in." Yukio said plainly.

"What? For three hours?! How is that a minor assignment?!" Shima cried.

"Yes, I will return in just three hours. While I'm gone, I want you all to stay calm, cool, and collected and _get along_." Yukio suddenly smiled, and Rin was a little frightened about that.

After he spoke, Yukio left the room. The space was silent after the click of the shutting door. Every student felt miserable and abandoned.

"Three hours? He's possessed by the devil..." Shima groaned.

"I can't take another pound anymore... Are you two seriously related?" Ryuji said to Rin.

"He's not that bad, I swear!" Rin pleaded.

Ryuji cleared his throat. "Well, look at the position we're all in, thanks to a certain _someone_!" Ryuji called a little louder at the end of his sentence.

Izumo frowned at the implication. "Excuse me? You're the one who grabbed me by the collar!" She shouted.

"But it was you who chose to pick a fight!" Ryuji responded.

Rin was more annoyed by the minute from the two screaming and barking at each other. Of course, Rin had to be in the middle. Rin lost it and yelled, "would you stop fighting with me in the middle?! Just shut up already!"

"Jeez, you've got a twisted personality!" Ryuji growled.

Izumo smiled, unaffected by his insult. "Please! Tell me something I don't know!"

"No wonder people run away from you," Ryuji said, something that did touch Izumo and shut her up.

The two stayed silent after their argument. Shiemi wasn't doing much other then staying conscious, and Shima nervously paced back and forth as his rock became heavier and heavier by the minute. "H-hey... Hana? You're so calm, isn't it... heavy?" Shima said and smiled nervously as he directed his attention to the rock on Amitiel's laps.

Amitiel replied calmly, "... that's because I lost the feeling in my legs."

Ryuji heard what she said and panicked, "crap! We gotta get these damn things off before we lose our legs!"

All of a sudden, the lights went black, plunging the room into thick darkness. Everyone shouted and yelped in pain as the rocks jumped off their thighs and rolled away in the dark. One landed on Rin's foot, forcing out a painful howl from Rin's mouth. Amitiel felt another demonic presence hit her among the dark. She jolted and her eyes widened. What surprised her was that the essence was the exact same as the demon that attacked everyone in the bathroom.

Amitiel looked at the other students, all that she saw was panic and confusion. These students are unaware of what is really happening and yet they are already terrified, perhaps because it is true that monsters lurk in the darkness.

Amitiel ignored the chaos around her and focused her attention on the situation that really mattered. She's the only one that knows of the demon's presence again, perhaps fate has given her another chance—to make up for her failure and exorcise the monster once and for all. This time she will not help the students, just as Raziel said. They are distractions to her mission, and she will not let a handful of humans stop her from achieving her goal.

But at the same time, Izumo's words of helping others out also collided with Raziel's words of only focusing on killing the demon.

Since the demon is here, then that means the summoner is here. If Raziel's prediction is true, then the Son of Satan might be right in this building.

_Damn it... _Amitiel grit her teeth in frustration. _If he really is here, then why can't I sense him?_

"What the hell?" Ryuji said as he looked around the empty mass of black, "did he turn off the lights, too?"

"That's just cruel!" Shima whined.

"Is it a blackout?" Shiemi asked.

"No, there are still some lights from nearby buildings outside," Konekomaru said as he pointed to a window. Windows on other buildings glowed with light from inside.

"Wait, so the blackout is just inside the building?" Shima asked.

"Great, just what I needed to get stuck with this jackass beside me," Izumo muttered.

"Okay, you know what? Why don't you build a damn bridge and get over it, will ya?" Ryuji almost snapped. "Can't you see I'm already in a dilemma?"

"Just being around you is a dilemma," Izumo scoffed.

Amitiel watched as chaos endured throughout the students, and Izumo and Ryuji's arguments only got worst to the point Amitiel had to step in. The two yelled at each other when something silver zipped in the space between their faces.

"WHAT THE—!" Ryuji lost his breath.

Izumo saw it was a shiny, silvery blade pinned deep into the wall, leaving a jagged crack where it hit.

"If you do not stop fighting," Amitiel said, arm outstretched from throwing the blade, "you will get ourselves killed. Do you wish to die?"

The two exchanged glances with each other.

Amitiel had the strength to stand up. "Okumura-sensei said we should never fight alone, so I will obey what he says, will you?"

"Y'know, for once we should listen to Okumura-sensei." Shima also stood up and scratched the back of his head. He began walking towards the door. "This moment is actually quite thrilling. It's like a real 'test of courage', eh?"

Amitiel felt a bad sense beyond that door. "Shima-san! Wait—!" Amitiel stopped herself when she realized she cannot help him.

Shima smiled coolly and opened the door. He took a nice, good look outside the room, taking into consideration that there was a demon breathing down on his pale, clammy face plastered with cold sweat. He then calmly closed the door, without letting go of the knob. He swore he silently wet his pants.

"Wow, I really need to get some sleep, man..." Shima trailed away with a smile as he scratched his head.

"...shit. _Shit!" _Rin and Ryuji both cursed to themselves, unfortunately they also saw the visitor at the door.

Shima chuckled nervously, "I-I'll just walk back over here and..." He turned towards the students, and began to slowly walk away from the door when suddenly, the door split open as a clawed hand broke through, causing Shima to scream and run behind Rin.

Everyone stared in shock and fear.

_It's...the Naberius!_ Rin said as he stood agape at the demon.

All the students stood up, shocked at the threat standing before them. All they could do was shiver in fear, and question in panic about the demon's reappearance.

"I-It's that ghoul!" Izumo cried.

Konekomaru took a step back with the blood draining away from his face. "I-Impossible...I thought Okumura-sensei set up barriers throughout the building!" He stuttered.

The students' eyes widened and they watched as the stitches sewed around the second head of the demon began to break. The head was bloating, as if a balloon was expanding inside. One by one the stitches around it began to rip open. Too much tension could be handled by the stitches and the head burst open, plastering the horrified, yet disgusted students with an explosion of thick, sickly black fluid.

"Ew! What is this stuff?!" Rin cried in disgust at the drops of the mysterious fluid on his arms.

"It's its bodily fluids... its _miasma_!" Izumo exclaimed.

Everyone panicked when the demon began approaching the students, Shima hid behind Rin, and Ryuji and Konekomaru were too speechless to move. The only one who took action was Shiemi.

_I have to do something... I have to save them! _Shiemi bit her soft lower lip. _...But how?_

The young girl searched her whole brain for an answer. Sweat formed as droplets on her forehead and her heart was palpating to the point it hurt. The demon was only a few steps away from harming anyone when suddenly Shiemi had a plan.

"Nii-chan!" Shiemi turned her attention to her green familiar perched on her shoulder. "Can you give me some _una-una_?"

The demon nodded with a squeak. It jumped and floated into her open palms, and with a bit of concentration, produced a large, think branch protruding from its stomach. The branch spread throughout the room, growing and dividing into many smaller branches, as if it was growing like a tree. One of the branches struck the demon through its chest and pinned it onto the wall at the back.

Everyone watched in awe at Shiemi's successful attempt. The whole room was infested by bark—a large, thick barrier separating the students from the demon.

"A-amazing..." Ryuji said in amazement.

"Thank you, Nii-chan!" Shiemi praised her familiar and it peeped happily.

Rin smiled. "Everyone's saved, Shiemi, thanks to you again," Rin said as he walked up towards the small forest of branches. Suddenly, Rin heard a noise coming from the demon. He watched as the stitches connecting the two demons broke around the branch that stabbed the demon and spread up and down, dividing the demon into two. The two bodies fell onto the ground, with raw guts spilling out of their wounds. Rin gasped as one of the demons immediately regenerated new limbs through their wounds. Rin stood back in precaution as the demon was now clawing and smashing the branches to reach the students.

"Wow, for something dead, it's pretty lively!" Rin said.

"A Naberius is way more active in the dark," Ryuji commented.

Shiemi suddenly burst out coughing and dropped to her knees, covering her mouth as she coughed.

Rin almost went into panic mode, "Shiemi! What's the matter?"

Shiemi tried to speak without coughing, "I feel...dizzy..."

Everyone stood then also burst into a song of coughs. Everyone coughed except for Rin. He looked around, confused as to why everyone was hacking their lungs out.

"Why is everyone coughing all of sudden?" Rin asked.

Izumo tried to suppress the pressure of another incoming cough escape from her throat, "it's from the demon's miasma! ... Doesn't it bother you?!" Izumo noticed that Rin was somehow immune to the fluid.

"Uh..." Rin said then pulled out his phone to call his brother as a distraction from answering Izumo. "Dammit, Yukio, at a time like this?" Rin hissed as he dialed a number.

"Yes, why doesn't it bother you?" Amitiel raised an eyebrow in suspicion then coughed violently.

_My... vessel has been affected._ Amitiel coughed.

Rin and Amitiel looked at each other silently, while Rin's phone rang in his ear. He paced, hoping Yukio had his cell-phone turned on and wasn't ignoring his own brother on purpose.

Ryuji stared down at Shiemi, who was on her knees and concentrating on keeping the barrier up, "once Shiemi loses strength, the barricade will vanish, and if that happens, we're done for."

Rin grit his teeth as he was impatient that Yukio wasn't picking up. He cancelled the call as he spoke, "I can't get through to Yukio's cell, this doesn't make sense..."

Shima's eyes widened when he saw Rin approach the forest of branches.

Ryuji asked, "hey, what are you doing?"

Rin laid a hand on a thick branch, "I'll go over and see if I could draw those bastards away from here, if I succeed, you guys can escape." Rin grinned.

"You... are you friggin' nuts?!" Ryuji shouted.

Rin climbed onto the branch as he added, "don't worry about me, I'm stronger than I look!"

Amitiel just stood by silently as Rin disappeared in the bundle of branches.

Rin ignored everyone's cries for him to return as he dug deeper through the branches until he could make out one of the demons, the demon noticed his presence and stopped its action of smashing through the branches. Rin saw the face of the other head that exploded, its body laid on the ground, immobile. To Rin, it reminded him of a rotten flower, since its head had protrusions similar to petals of that of a flower. A rotten, black flower.

"I'm the one you bastards are after, right?" Rin began to sprint away as he shouted, "... then come and get me!" Rin ran and the demon pursued him. Rin ran out of the room than ran farther away down the hall, with the demon trailing behind him.

"Damn, I don't believe that guy..." Ryuji said in annoyance.

"Well, whatever, let's just get out of here and get help..." Shima said. However, instead of escaping like Shima suggested, Amitiel walked towards the threat. Everyone shouted again, yet she ignored them as she climbed over the branches as well.

"What... What the hell is wrong with you!?" Ryuji shouted at her.

Amitiel stopped mid-way from climbing over a branch. "There is something I must do, and it's none of your business."

Ryuji's face turned beat red and he shouted at her to come back, yet she ignored him.

She was deep in the darkness surrounded by branches until the angel made her way outside the maze of branches.

Amitiel looked both ways at the doorway, thinking which side to pick, she couldn't see Rin from either direction. But something on the floor in the hall distracted her. She found blotches on the floor, staining the wooden planks with a dark fluid. She kneeled down and dabbed her finger in it, then realized it was the demon's miasma. She looked ahead in the dark hallway and found a trail of the fluid down the hall. Amitiel unsheathed her blade and proceeded down the hall, the opposite way in Rin's direction.

"Now what? Should we stop her?" Ryuji asked.

Shima shook his head with a smile, "she's alright, both demons are following Rin, remember? She'll just go help him out or something." Shima looked down at Shiemi, who was still concentrating on just staying conscious. "Shiemi...you don't need the barrier anym—"

"Hold up. Didn't you hear that just now?" Ryuji interrupted as he fixed his attention at the branches. The students could all hear what sounded like a slither, like that of a snake. After a couple of seconds, a demon's head emerged out of a spot around the branches where everyone could see.

Everyone was now panicking.

"No way... _no way_!" Konekomaru cried then took another step back.

"Dammit! If there was a demon in there all along—Hana!" Ryuji shouted. Ryuji knew that there was that sorrowful chance that she was caught by the demon. Ryuji couldn't think about the chance she didn't survive, he didn't want to think that she wasn't alive anymore.

_You will have blood on your hands, students, but you don't want it to be a comrade's blood._

* * *

Amitiel's shoes tapped deeply on the wooden flooring. Her hands gripped her blades so tightly her knuckles turned white. The hallway was dark and silent, there was no other colour she could see besides black. The angel walked straight and carefully, as she was cautious about something appearing in the way from out of the darkness before her. The darkness around her made Amitiel feel cold, her fingertips felt cold, as if they were dunked in ice water. The lonely air felt frigid as solid ice. However, she was thankful she was alone at last, that way she can use all of her power without blowing her cover in front of the students. If there were no students present when the Naberius attacked in the bathroom, she would've easily smite it.

A bit of twilight escaped through the windows, illuminating the way to god-knows-where.

Amitiel stopped walking when she saw one of the dorm doors were left opened. Every other one was either closed or locked, but this one stood out. Amitiel raised one of her blades in her hands and tensed her shoulders as she curved her spine downward, increasing the lightness of her steps, making them quieter. She held her blade into preparation above her as she took slow, quiet steps into the room, ready to slice whatever might be in that room. The room was actually similar to hers, except everything was reversed in position. She took a step then looked down on the floor. She could make out through the darkness strange, white markings and glyphs drawn on the floor. She hovered her gaze over the mysterious markings and was able to identify it.

"A summoning circle..."

* * *

Rin continued to sprint while the demon was creeping as quick as a reptile behind him. His heart was pounding in his chest and ears and the cool wind blew past him, yet he wasn't near to tiring. Rin remembered Ryuji's fact on the demons. He said that demons were much more active in the dark.

_The lights... if I can turn them on somehow, the demon should lose power._

Rin ran faster to stretch the distance between himself and the demon. He slowed down when he arrived at the power grid. The wall he was facing was composed of many electrical boxes and switches. Luckily, a bit of twilight shone on the electrical components from a skylight above him, allowing Rin to observe and make out the switches more clearly.

"Just as I thought, the power's out," Rin said to himself as he scanned the many breakers. "If only I could find the right one..." Rin's fingers touched the breakers.

Rin yelped when the demon wrapped its long tongue around the boy's head and threw a screaming Rin against a metal handrail. Rin was hit in the head by the bars and he fell to the ground, leaving a large, deformed bend in the rail. The two locked gazes and the demon reacted by pouncing onto Rin's place. Rin dodged and ran around, and the demon pounced again. Rin ran aside and charged towards the breaker box. He reached out to flip the switch but the demon's tongue wrapped around his ankle. Rin gasped and the demon flung him into the air and the boy landed hard on his side.

The demon lunged at Rin. The boy spun around and flashed his icy blue eyes at the demon as he screamed, "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

A flash of blue light and a force struck the demon, causing it to recoil. Its chest sizzled as a flick of blue flame burnt off a layer of rotting skin. Blue flames erupted and enveloped Rin. He looked at himself, observing the elegant blue flames dancing on the surface of his skin, unburned by its touch. Rin focused on his surroundings and his senses became sharper than before, he could feel every movement and sound. His pupils shrunk and slit, turning from black into a blood red.

The sight of the blue flames prevented the demon from attacking Rin. It stood as if someone commanded it to stop.

Rin frowned in hostility, and surprise when a familiar voice entered the air, "yes, that's what I was looking for, those blue flames."

Rin's red pupils dilated when he could make out Mr. Neuhaus' figure standing, looking over with his one eye behind the metal handrail Rin dented. His menacing face was covered by mostly black shadow with a sheen of blue light. His eye was focused on a flaming Rin, reflecting the evil blue colour of the flames in his eye.

Rin stood up in shock, "you're...!"

Mr. Neuhaus spoke, "since you were unable to reveal your "power" to the rest, I took the chance to lure you away, Rin Okumura..." Mr. Neuhaus narrowed his hostile eye on the flaming boy,"...Son of Satan!"

"How did you find out? Why would a teacher do this?!" Rin said as he removed the red, floral cover off his sword, preparing for whatever assault his enemies might throw at him.

The teacher's response was only a sinister smile, a smile that seemed to reveal another truth.

Rin grit his sharp canine teeth at the revelation that he discovered, "you...you were responsible for both attacks, huh?!"

Mr. Neuhaus calmly confessed, "actually, yes. But it seems that annoying pest Hana realized before you did. But put that aside, show me more of that 'power'!"

Rin's anger burned just like his blue flames. Paku. Hana. _Everyone._ They've risked their lives saving Paku against the demon, and it was all because of one of their allies. One who was supposed to teach them—guide them—to become exorcists_._ He had betrayed them. All of humanity. All Rin could think was sink his blade into the exorcist's chest, bleed him out; kill him. His blue vision blurred Neuhaus' figure, standing metres away with the Naberius by his side like a dog.

Rin grit his teeth when the demon made its move. It charged at Rin. The boy jumped up and unsheathed his sword. Two blue flames sprouted on Rin's forehead and the flames enveloping him grew more intense─more deadly. Rin could feel something unwrap from around his waist and a black tail appeared, its tip was lit in blue fire. His ears elongated and he felt his fangs have gotten sharper.

Rin roared and the two demons clashed together. Rin landed on top of the demon and he stabbed the demon's head with his sword. Rin twisted the sword into its head and the flames quickly devoured the demon whole, burning it to a cinder. The demon screamed as the hungry flames ate away at its rotten flesh.

Neuhaus shaded his eye with his hand from the bright light emanating from the blue flames. "I've seen enough." And with that said, he slipped away into the dark from Rin's notice.

Rin jumped off the demon as it fell in defeat on the ground, blue flames continued feeding on it, lighting up from behind Rin like an explosion.

Rin glanced around, realizing the exorcist escaped, "what the...where the hell did you go?!"

* * *

Amitiel stood at the edge of the strange circle drawn on the wooden floor. She continued to direct her stern gaze over it, wondering if this circle was what released the demon. Who would do something like that? Could it be an exorcist? Why would an exorcist harm the students? What if this is the work of the Son of Satan? Amitiel just continued thinking about many unanswered questions as she looked at the circle. She noticed the faint moonlight from the window gleamed on something on the circle.

She was able to notice it was a puddle of blood.

An active circle. This is indeed the circle that summoned the Naberius. Maybe if she disrupted it, the demon would be sent back into its hellish dimension.

Amitiel used her shoe to wipe the chalk, smudging the rim of the circle.

"There..."

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Amitiel's head whipped around at the entrance. It was Rin's distant scream. More than that, a huge wave of aura surged past her, causing the hair at the back of her head and arms to stand on end.

Her eyes widened. It was him.

_The Son of Satan... he's finally here._

Amitiel felt her skin crawl suddenly. At last, the Son of Satan has come out of hiding. She could feel his overwhelmingly powerful aura hit her like a punch in the stomach. This much power made her unsure on how she can handle a monster like _that._

Nevertheless, she can easily track him down and eliminate him. She can feel him, his every movement, his _location_. After 15 gruelling years of blindly searching, it will finally come to an end.

She has to answer Rin's scream, she has to kill the Son of Satan.

Amitiel bolted out of the room and back down the hall. She charged through complete darkness with faint twilight gleaming through the windows. She hoped that the Son of Satan wasn't attacking Rin. She will not underestimate his power. Those flames are so destructive and dangerous, that such power shouldn't even exist in this fragile environment, in fact, it shouldn't exist _anywhere_. If it is true, then Rin is already dead, and she couldn't do anything to save him—even if she tried.

Amitiel reached the doorway to the room the rest of the students were in. She could hear Ryuji reciting a fatal verse. At the sight of the demon attempting to slither through the forest of branches, she realized that the circle didn't effect the demons. She was confused, she destroyed it, so why is the demon still there?

Unless—

Amitiel formed a small 'o' with her lips. She realized she underestimated the summoner's cleverness. Unless the summoner created backup circles in effect, the demons were bound to more than one circle, and in order to send them away, she would have to destroy all the circles. Perhaps the rest were scattered throughout the dormitory.

She didn't have enough time to search anymore. It wouldn't be enough even if she did find all the circles, because the Son of Satan would have burned down this building, along with everyone in it.

Amitiel stepped in front of Ryuji's sight. All the students could see her through the branches as she stepped back in.

Ryuji just finished one of the chapters, and he was flabbergasted.

"What the—! YOU'RE STILL ALIVE!" Ryuji shouted, deeply relieved. But then he noticed Rin's absence. "WHERE THE HELL IS HE?!" Ryuji shouted at the top of his lungs. He was also relieved that Amitiel was alive. Now he wasn't worried that Amitiel was killed, but maybe it was the reckless, blue-haired idiot.

Amitiel spoke calmly, even when the ghoul was clawing through the branches. In fact, it was stuck in a tight space of branches, and it seems the demon hasn't yet noticed her presence. Let's hope it stays that way. "...Oh, did... did he go the other way?" Amitiel asked as she pointed at the opposite way that she took.

Ryuji lost it.

"WHAT?! AND YOU JUST REALIZED THAT?!"

"Ah, blonds..." Shima smiled and sighed, then screamed when the demon tried to slash at him like a tiger. Shima used his K'rik to stab the demon through the branches, attempting to stop it from coming closer towards the students.

The ghoul then noticed Amitiel's presence and all it's attention was drawn to her.

Ryuji yelled, "Hana! It's onto you now, get out of here!"

Amitiel raised her blade in front of her face and went into fighting position. "Hana! Don't!" The demon charged and swung its claw towards Amitiel as she ran. Before its nails could scratch her face, Amitiel went on her knee and ducked backwards, allowing herself to slide over the claw. Her eyes gazed at the claw passing by inches above her head and the demon ran into the wall, cracking it. Amitiel drove her shoe against the floor to slow herself down, then jumped onto the wall and pounced off it. She raised her blade with both hands as she prepared to stab the demon in the back when suddenly she was thrown off course by a force and hit the wall. The demon stood before her and its claw dripped with blood. Her blood.

Amitiel rested herself against the wall then noticed blood bloomed on her chest, soaking through her white uniform. Amitiel saw through the large, jagged rips that there were large gashes on her chest from the demon's claw. Amitiel stood up and readied herself, but her vessel gave out and she fell back down. Her hands and hair were stained by her own blood.

Amitiel closed her eyes when the demon lunged at her when suddenly a loud shout pierced the room.

"HEY, JACKASS, OVER HERE!" Ryuji shouted one more time than shouted the rest of the verse, this time at a faster pace.

The ghoul growled and approached the boy, fully determined in killing Ryuji and stopping him from completing the verse.

Konekomaru shouted, "Tanaka-san! Run, get away from here!"

Amitiel ran out without hesitation, focusing back on saving Rin. During that time, her wounds already stopped bleeding and already closed up. Despite the severity, it didn't hurt her at all. It was only her vessel, and Amitiel wasn't quite bound to it, besides—it was dead to begin with, she just decided to wear it.

Amitiel made out a shadow looming ahead towards her. The sight of it brought relief. "Rin!" Amitiel shouted as she ran up to him.

Rin's eyes widened, "Hana! What are you doing?!" Rin grabbed onto Amitiel. He had blood all over his white shirt, some of it was hers. Most of it was from the demon. He also got some on his face, but he wiped it off immediately.

Rin began to panic as he held onto Hana. He shook tremendously, and not out of coldness. He was afraid, he would not want this girl in his arms to discover his identity marked on the ghoul—his blue flames engulfing the defeated demon. If she found out, her father will kill him.

"I wanted to follow you... but I think I went the other way..." Amitiel spoke between pants so seriously Rin tried to prevent himself from bursting out laughing at her stupidity.

Rin raised a finger, "Hana—! ... Never mind," Rin said than stopped his sentence with an open mouth that was producing no words.

"Huh?" Amitiel said.

"Your chest!" Rin exclaimed when he noticed her bloodied chest. Blood had bloomed all around before her healing closed it up.

"Don't worry! I have to go!" Amitiel was relieved Rin was okay, but she had to continue on to eliminate the Son of Satan.

"No, let's get back," Rin said then stopped her by holding her arm.

"But—!" Amitiel tried to protest when she looked back at the boy.

"No, it's... it's not a pretty sight," Rin said truthfully, he didn't want her to see the flames. To him, they really weren't that beautiful—they were cursed and destructive.

Amitiel looked at the direction Rin came from, and noticed the Son of Satan was gone—no trace of his presence was left, it was as if he disappeared. All she saw was the long, empty hallway.

Amitiel cursed. She was so close, and yet she missed it. All because of saving... _Them._

_Next time... I will kill you._

Amitiel reluctantly obeyed, "... let's go..."

The two ran back to the classroom the other students were in. Rin noted that only one of the two demons followed him out, which means one still remains with the others. They were still in danger, and Rin wasn't too confident Shiemi could handle that much stress and energy on taming her familiar. The branch barrier she created was the only wall separating the students and the demon, and it may be crumbling as more time passes on.

Amitiel and Rin hoped they weren't too late.

Amitiel and Rin were only meters away from reaching the room where the other students were in until the duo heard another roar coming from further down the hall, where Amitiel discovered the magic circle.

"Oh, no," Amitiel's eyes widened. She felt another presence in the building. It wasn't one of the ghouls, but another one Amitiel and the others haven't fought yet.

The summoner summoned another Naberius.

"Huh?! What do you mean!?" Rin shouted at her in panic.

Amitiel swallowed and looked ahead. "Rin, I think there's more than 2 demons in here…"

"Huh?!"

Rin and Amitiel heard a growl coming straight at them, suddenly, a Naberius emerged from the darkness and charged at them. Rin screamed as Amitiel unsheathed her blades and blocked the demon's attacks. The demon pushed her back and tried to claw at Rin, but Amitiel ran and pushed Rin out of the way, taking the blow herself.

"Hana!" Rin called from the floor. Amtiel stood in front of him, facing the demon, which was growling menacingly at her.

"Rin, I'll handle this. You join up and help the others. I'll meet you there," Amitiel said as she went into her standard fighting position.

Rin was shocked. "W-Wait! Just hold up a second—!"

Rin couldn't finish his sentence when the demon attacked again and Amitiel pounced on top of the demon and stabbed it in the eye. She ripped her blade out and smoke sizzled from the demon's wound. It screamed in agony as he threw its head back and clutched at its face. It roared and Amitiel jumped off right in time before it clawed at her.

"You need to get away from it! Don't worry about me! I'm stronger than I seem!" Amitiel said as she continued to wrestle the demon.

Rin stood up and was shocked to the point he forgot to breathe. He watched as Amitiel single-handedly fought the demon, and it looks as if she was winning. He had never seen someone move with such flexibility and skill. Just how experienced was she?

"Hana… you…" Rin whispered.

Amitiel dodged more attacks and was able to cut off one of the demon's arms. Black, rotten blood sprayed out as the limb fell on the bloodied floor.

"Go, now!" Amitiel shouted again. "Don't make me do it for you!"

Rin's nose scrunched up and he replied. "No, I ain't leaving you behind! Let me fight with you!"

Amitiel slashed through the demon's legs, slicing each of its Achilles' tendons. The demon fell to the ground and could not stand up. It growled in annoyance and pain as Amitiel stood before Rin, with her blood-stained blades still clutched by her hands.

"Why would you want to fight with me?" Amitiel asked.

"Because that's what friends do, right!?" Rin shouted angrily. "I would never leave my friends behind, no matter what they say!"

Amitiel's eyes widened from shock. _Did he… just call me a friend?_ Amitiel thought.

"Rin, why—"

Amitiel was interrupted when a clawed hand penetrated right through her stomach. Rin watched in horror as Amitiel stood in utter shock at what had just happened. The demon growled and pulled its arm right out of her stomach and Amitiel fell in Rin's arms, drenching him in her blood.

Sudden images of him and his father flooded his mind, the blood, the stench, the burning blue fire all around him, his own father, possessed by Satan, as he ripped off his own fingers and created a pool of blood that eventually formed into the Gehenna Gate. Rin felt so overwhelmed and angry that blue flames erupted from him like that of a volcano violently spewing lava and fire. Rin screamed as the blue flames returned, enveloping him and burned the demon away. It screeched and screamed from such intense pain until its whole body burned away into cinder and ash.

Rin sat still, still clutching his fallen comrade's body, as tears welled up in his eyes. The demon's remaining carcass fell to the ground and broke into pieces of ash, until it dissolved and disappeared out of thin air. Rin still didn't move, trying to suppress his flames before Hana could open her eyes and see him in flames.

_Come one, come ON!_ Rin screamed in his head, as his flames slowly diminished. Rin panted and realized what he had done.

Rin looked down at Hana and patted her head. "Please, wake up, Hana!" Rin called.

Amitiel's eyes fluttered open and relief washed over him.

"Your… such an idiot, Rin," Amitiel whispered.

He looked down at Amitiel and she coughed in his face. Rin felt relieved she was still alive until blood splattered on his face.

"Thanks," Rin said, wiping the blood away.

Rin felt Amitiel lift up and crawled off him. He looked at her in utter worry due to the condition she was in.

"Hey! Stop moving! Your hurt!" Rin said, but saw her stand up as if nothing happened to her.

"What?" Amitiel asked, confused.

"B-But..?! Your stomach has a hole in it!" Rin pointed at her abdomen.

She looked down and lifted her shirt up. There no longer was a hole through her stomach, only blood and a deep cut from the injury. It was still healing at this very moment.

"H-How…?" Rin asked, too shocked to process what he had seen.

"It's… hard to explain," Amitiel said. "But right now we must help the others."

Amitiel looked around and noticed the demon was no longer present. "Where is it?" Amitiel asked, confused.

Rin stuttered, "uh… I-I defeated it."

Amitiel sighed and scratched the back of her neck. "I see, well, let's get going."

Rin looked at her in shock as a thought ran through his head. _Did she see me in flames? She seems to not have noticed._

"Did you—" Rin started, but stopped.

Amitiel helped him up and the two continued on down the hallway.

Amitiel ran behind Rin. Her healing stopped part of the bleeding where blood would leak onto the ground, but she wasn't aware how severe her condition really was. Suddenly, the angel cringed and stopped running when a sharp pain spread across her body. It felt as if she got electrocuted.

Amitiel began to feel light-headed and stumbled against the wall. Rin looked back then immediately stopped and caught up to her, "hey! What's wrong?"

Amitiel positioned her hand on the wall, with the other still clutching her chest. She leaned all her weight on the wall and she was panting from running. Amitiel suddenly felt weak, she removed a bit of her hand away from the wound. Her hand was soaked with hot, fresh blood. There was something else that caught Amitiel's eye. She saw light escape and radiate through her wounds. The light was coming from herself. _It was her_.

Amitiel gasped and immediately covered the light. She knew something much more dangerous than a large scratch happened to her.

Rin supported her from falling over, "what's the matter?"

Amitiel didn't respond and pushed herself pass Rin. He grabbed her arm and repeated. "Stop! You're bleeding excessively! Just let me—"

"SHUT UP!" Amitiel screamed at him. Rin's face went white at her sudden outburst. For one second he thought her voice changed a little, it was more deep—more _demonic_. And her eyes... he thought he saw a glowing white speck in her empty black pupils.

* * *

"_Let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God, believe also in me... For he shall not speak of himself, he will guide ye unto all truth..._" Ryuji clenched his fists, squeezing the beads as he chanted, calmly but effectively. His concentration was entirely on chanting, not on finishing the chapters before the demon could reach him and his friends. One mistake—one mispronunciation—and he would have to restart.

"Its almost through!" Shima cried as the demon's torso was outside the branches, its claws slashed the air near the students as it growled violently.

"_...But whatsoever he shall hear..._"

"Bon's on the final chapter!" Konekomaru shouted beside Shima.

"_This spake he, signifying by what death he glorifying God..._"

"I-I wonder what happened to Okumura-kun..." Konekomaru's voice shook.

"I really don't wanna think about that, Koneko!" Shima said as he gripped his golden staff. "But hey! At least were safe, right? With Shiemi-chan's barrier protecting us from possibly a horrible, brutal death—"

Shima felt ants in his pants when he heard a thump beside him. It was Shiemi, and with her his only hope of staying alive was gone as she passed out. Her familiar fell out of her clammy hands and the branches suddenly broke and disintegrated into smoke.

Nothing stood between the students and the demon now.

Shima ran at the demon and drove his staff straight at the demon's torso. It drove halfway into its flesh when the demon pulled the staff out with its claw and hurled it out of its way, with Shima still clinging to it. The pink-haired teen landed hard on the floor and slid across the room and hit the wall.

"Shima!" Konekomaru cried when Renzo regained his strength and pursued the demon again. Konekomaru turned to Ryuji, who recited faster. Sweat built up on the boys' foreheads as their survival hung on a thread held by Ryuji.

Konekomaru stood by his only friend, and his only hope of destroying the demon. He shut his eyes and prayed and prayed for Ryuji's success. Konekomaru opened his eyes when he saw Izumo Kamiki move towards a fallen Shiemi.

"Hey! Are you okay?" Izumo patted Shiemi's soft cheek, which was stained with some of the demon's _miasma. _"Stay with me!" Izumo cried to keep Shiemi conscious.

"Ka...miki...san..." Shiemi whispered through pants. Izumo gasped.

"You... Aren't yourself anymore..." Izumo remained silent as Shiemi spoke with small breaths. "Are you... Okay?"

_What? _Izumo was aphonic and confused. _She's worried about _me_? In _her_ situation?_

"Come on! Just die already!" Shima roared.

Izumo furrowed her eyebrows and pulled out her summoning papers from the pocket on her school shirt.

_What's wrong with me? She's right.._. Izumo looked at the papers. _This isn't like me!_

Izumo spoke as she bit her thumb and smeared her blood over the papers. _"Inari, I humbly beseech thee..."_

She threw the papers on the floor as she chanted out loud, _"...to grant my request!"_

Suddenly, white swirls of smoke protruded out of the papers and morphed into Uke and Mike, her fox spirits.

"You dare summon us, weak human?" Mike growled. "You should know your—"

"_Obey me_!" Izumo commanded fiercely, which silenced the foxes out of fear.

"Bon! You must hurry up!" Konekomaru squeezed Ryuji's burly biceps, Ryuji felt his friend's hands shake uncontrollably. Ryuji gave Konekomaru and nod and shot a smirk. Konekomaru felt all his fears melt away. That smile. It gave him hope again. Konekomaru faced the demon as it approached Ryuji.

He will stand by his friend, even unto death.

"_Shudder, shiver, shake..._" Izumo chanted as she made gestures with her fingers, waving them in a circle.

_I do have a twisted personality. But that's who I am!_

"_Spirit begone_!" Izumo shouted and the foxes ran over and around the demon, cutting it and slashing it in white smoke. However, the demon broke through the foxes' attack and pursued Ryuji, who remained immobile and defenceless on the ground.

"No!" Izumo screamed at her failed attempt.

The boys called Ryuji when the demon grabbed him by the hair and raised him up.

"_This is the disciple which testifieth of these things... And wrote these things..._" Ryuji continued through the pain piercing his brain as the demon's claw gripped the hair on his scalp.

"_And... we know that...his testimony... Is true─_" Ryuji gasped when the demon grabbed his throat, cutting him off.

"Bon!" Shima and Konekomaru shouted.

Izumo looked at Ryuji as he fought through the demon's attacks and continued to chant much to his pain.

_You can do this._

Everyone gasped when a piercing bright light filled the room, which turned out to be the lights.

"The lights! Okumura-kun turned them back on!" Konekomaru said.

"_I suppose that the world itself..._" Ryuji groaned as the demon's grip tightened around his neck. _"...Could not contain the books..."_ Saliva dripped down his chin, Ryuji could barely breathe anymore. Only a few words left...

Ryuji frowned in rage at the demon as he used his one last breath that was left and screamed, "_...that should be written!_"

The demon roared violently as its flesh began to disintegrate, and suddenly it exploded in black particles. The particles plastered the walls and the students, but most importantly, it was gone.

Konekomaru ran up to his friend, who was shaking uncontrollably from shock. "Bon!" He cried out.

"I-I th-th-thought I was g-gonna d-die..." Ryuji muttered. His hair, which took him hours to fix, was now a jumbled mess. Ryuji looked like a mess, but he was alive.

The students heard quick footsteps coming from the hallway. Ryuji stopped muttering and his jaw dropped when a familiar figure emerged in the room, and was barely harmed.

"Hey! You guys all right?" Rin asked, with Amitiel by his side.

Ryuji was almost speechless and his muttering returned, "th-the demon...! D-did you—?!"

Rin smiled when he understood where Ryuji was getting at. He raised a thumb while smiling as he answered, "oh, the other one? I beat it!"

Ryuji's reaction hasn't yet been noticed by Rin. Rin continued smiling when a huge amount of force hit him, throwing him to the ground. Before him, Ryuji's tall, imposing figure stood.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?! _I_ almost did!" Ryuji shouted in rage, threatening the boy with a smack of his fist.

Rin pleaded, "what?! Stop! Now your trying to get me killed—!" Rin stopped and leaped away from his place when a raging Ryuji attempted to step on him.

Izumo helped a weak and tired Shiemi sit up. As Ryuji chased Rin like a cat with a mouse, Izumo bowed her head down in guilt as she spoke from the heart, "listen...I really hate you."

Those words lifted Shiemi's gaze to Izumo's with confusion. Her clueless eyes showed that she was unaffected by the hurtful confession. "Huh?"

Izumo quickly looked away and added, "—but you saved us. That's all, okay?"

Shiemi nodded in gratitude.

Amitiel was leaning her back against the wall, with her hand still applying pressure to the wound on her stomach. The action taking place between Ryuji and Rin's childish chase and Izumo and Shiemi's making up allowed Amitiel to finally breathe a sigh of relief. Finally, the truth has been spoken for Izumo. Thanks to the students and their courage, it felt like a bunch of weight has been lifted off Amitiel's shoulders, knowing the demon was defeated and the students were safe.

Amitiel blinked in confusion. _Wait... Why does it even matter to me if they're safe?_

Amitiel whimpered from the pain and grimaced. Her eyes drooped in exhaustion and she continued to stare with sombre amber eyes. These students were safe and unharmed—but what about Amitiel?

"What is this?"

Amitiel's eyes widened at the sound of the voice. She looked aside at the doorway and there stood Yukio. Just the mere sight of him infuriated her.

"Where have you been?" Amitiel spoke sharply.

"I apologize for coming back so late but, why is my brother being assaulted by Suguro-kun?" Yukio raised a confused eyebrow.

Amitiel gripped Yukio by the collar and brought him close to her threatening gaze. "Where were you? If you really want to know what happened, your so called "seals" failed to do their job and the Naberius almost killed them. Now thanks to the students and their cooperation, they defeated the demon. Did you purposely set up faulty barriers, or was their no barriers at all?" Amitiel's head was low and her dark irises provoked a shiver to crawl around Yukio's body.

"Tanaka-san, there was a reason. Please, there is no need to be so defensive," Yukio rested his fingers on Amitiel's hand gripping his collar and she lowered him back to the ground, releasing him.

Amitiel realized something. "Wait, is this—!"

"Yukio!" Rin shouted when he noticed his brother's presence as Ryuji was held back by his friends. "Where have you b—" Rin's voice turned to a gasp when the familiar Mr. Neuhaus appeared from behind Yukio. Amitiel could see in his eyes the amount of fear the moment Mr. Neuhaus walked in. The fear in Rin's eyes immediately informed her that this Mr. Neuhaus had done something to Rin.

Amitiel looked at Rin with a gaze that seemed to say 'are you okay?'

Rin swallowed a hard lump down his throat that didn't seem to go away. The look on his face told her everything.

Mr. Neuhaus merely gazed at Rin with very little interest, yet his eye still revealed the same, menacing look to Rin.

Yukio blinked and looked aside to Mr. Neuhaus, after capturing his brother's stare on the teacher behind Yukio.

"Yukio..." Rin gulped. "He's...our enem—" Rin was suddenly cut off when a fancy boot kicked him from behind his head, sending him flying, and rolling onto the floor until he hit the wall. He let out a pained squeal until the kicker revealed himself.

The angel's eyes widened when Mephisto emerged from an opening in the ceiling. "All right, young pages! Excellent work today!" Mephisto said when he landed onto the wooden floor and straightened himself up.

"M-Mephisto?!" Rin cried.

Ryuji furrowed his brows in confusion, "why is the director here?"

Mephisto turned his attention to Ryuji behind him and said, "did you really think I would ever allow a mid-class demon to invade my academy?" Mephisto snapped his fingers with a grin and, from many corners of the room, exorcists emerged. Some were hidden under the floor, while some were in the wall, others were inside the roof. All the students were shocked by the amount of exorcists emerging from their hideouts within the room.

"Exorcists with Doctor credentials, kindly tend to the wounded," Mephisto said as the Doctors moved to the wounded.

Amitiel saw a female lifting up an unconscious Shiemi. Amitiel felt quite indignant at their sudden appearance, she didn't even know until now. Throughout all the time they fought from getting killed, the exorcists just observed. She felt ashamed she hasn't sense them at all.

A doctor approached Amitiel and offered to treat her, but she shook her head. The doctor insisted when he saw the pool of blood on her chest and she reluctantly allowed him. Her healing wasn't going to work this time.

"W-wait...!" Ryuji said when he realized something.

Mephisto grinned, "yes, this boot camp has also served as the _Exwire Certification Exam_! Congratulations!" Mephisto applauded by clapping his hands.

Rin was in so much shock that in turned into confusion, "...what?"

Mephisto added, "while camp was in session, we tested you judging by your actions and decisions by placing instructors throughout the building to monitor you. I will read their reports, and determine who will succeed or fail."

"Wait... _what?_"

* * *

"DAMMIT!" Rin screamed with all his might with rage then plopped back onto the bed.

"Jeez," Rin said when he calmed down, "a surprise test... they completely fooled us."

"We sure got punked, huh?" Ryuji jumped in.

All the students were in a recovery room of two beds, everyone had IV bags connected to them. Shiemi was resting on a bed, in which Ryuji sat at her side. Amitiel was on another bed, in which Rin sat by her. Because of her wounds, the doctors connected her to a cardiac monitor to ensure her heart rate was steady. They said she had low blood pressure and anemia from what Rin had heard.

"We should've at least kept in mind of that possibility," Renzo said.

Konekomaru buried his face in his hands in shame as he spoke nervously, "oh god, I wonder if I made it..."

Ruyji responded, "well, its too late worrying about that now."

"I-I couldn't even stand up!"

"I'm sure you guys did fine." Izumo entered the conversation, all students' attention was on her, "remember, before this test, that Okumura-sensei said we should never fight alone? Exwires should be capable of collaborating with others..." Izumo's fists tightened their grip, "...out of all of us, no one failed worse than myself..."

Ryuji tried to cheer her up, "hey, you weren't that bad, y'know. You weren't the one who parked their butts the whole time!" Ryuji now directed to the hooded figure and Takara, who weren't paying attention at all to the students.

"Yo, you got anything to say about that!?" Ryuji shouted in frustration.

The hooded figure continued playing on their portable gaming system as they replied with a tone of boredom, "yay. Got a dragon's claw, upgrade."

The boy with the puppet turned his puppet's face to the students, "shut up, you little brat! What makes you think I have anything to say to you?" The puppet spoke with a cocky attitude.

Ryuji was on fire again.

"Oh my god! They actually spoke! You're an awesome ventriloquist!" Rin shouted in amazement.

As Rin was pretty much shouting instead of whispering due to Shiemi and Amitiel sleeping on the beds, Shiemi tried to open her heavy eyes. She groaned and rubbed her eye with her fist. Rin shut himself up when he heard Shiemi's tired groans.

"Oh, hey, dumbass! Way to go!" Ryuji shouted. Luckily Amitiel didn't wake up.

"Ah, shit," Rin said and turned towards Shiemi and apologized, "I-I'm sorry for waking you up..."

Shiemi sat up and continued to rub her eye, trying to wake herself up. She spoke very quietly and calmly, "no, I'm feeling much better now... what are you all talking about?"

Everyone smiled in gratitude to Shiemi.

"Ah, we were talking about the exam," Shima responded. "Y'know that whole demon attack thing earlier? It was all a setup."

"And most of the credit is rewarded to you, Shiemi," Konekomaru added.

"We would all be dead if it weren't for you, we owe you big time, thank you." Ryuji praised Shiemi and bowed his head down in gratitude and respect.

Shiemi was still in a sleepy daze and didn't quite listen to what Ryuji had said. After a short moment of silence, she snapped out of her trance and begged him to not thank her but she thanked him.

"It would be insane of them if you hadn't passed the exam," Ryuji said.

Shiemi blushed and smiled as the students gave her many meaningful comments on her success. Honestly, she never thought she'd be the one that rescued them, it really showed how she was determined to become stronger. She felt as if she was getting stronger, she didn't feel like the weakling of the group anymore—she felt like a hero.

"By the way, Rin, just how did you defeat the demon?" Konekomaru questioned in curiosity.

Rin blinked and tried to search his brain for an easy explanation that wouldn't spoil the truth. "I... uh...I just... poked it… with this thing." Rin smiled clumsily as he pointed his finger at his sword that was slung over his shoulder.

"You "poked" it? Would it hurt to elaborate on that?" Ryuji frowned in suspicion.

Rin just smiled to try to cover up his nervousness.

"You're the biggest mystery possible," Ryuji said.

"Well, that's who I am, Mr. Mistake!" Rin tried to speak in English, and pointed his thumb at himself and continued smiling.

Shima choked himself laughing from Rin's failure to enunciate properly and cried, "what the?! _Mistake_?!"

Rin quickly tried to correct himself by babbling out other non-existing words, "mis-chil? Mis-tell? Mysterial?" Rin inquired.

""Mysterious", you brainless idiot," Ryuji corrected.

Izumo watched and observed the blue-haired boy with great suspicion. There wasn't a chance he could defeat a mid-level demon with just a long, sharp piece of metal. She knew from experience that mid-level demons aren't as weak as any low-level demon. A page against a Naberius? There was no possibility Rin could have survived. Izumo really questioned his uncanny abilities.

_He truly is a mystery..._ Izumo thought.

Rin laughed and looked aside his bed where Amitiel laid. Her breathing seemed hoarse, but most importantly she was breathing. The monitor beeped fast as it measured her heart rate, but it was steady. Rin had to admit Hana took the hardest hit by the demon, and he was surprised she was even alive. He hadn't paid attention until now that there was so much blood Hana had lost from her wound. She could have died. She _should_ have died.

Rin pondered in worry as he stared at an unconscious Amitiel.

"Y'know, it would be very reassuring if you woke up..." Rin muttered under his breath.

Rin shut up when her eyelashes fluttered and her eyes opened only slightly. "... I was always awake, Rin," Amitiel whispered.

"Hana!" Rin almost shouted. "Are you okay? How're you feeling?"

Amitiel felt a pinch in her forehand. She looked at her hand and saw a small, plastic tube connected to a bag of saline solution hanging on a metal post beside her bed. She also saw Rin had the same thing on his hand, along with the other students.

A beep rang from the monitor when Amitiel winced in pain and clutched her chest. Rin's heart almost stopped. Amitiel felt long bandages wrapped around her torso. They were stained with blood, but it stopped the flow. Thankfully, Amitiel didn't need to use her healing ability, because it was useless now. Whatever that demon did to her—it won't heal so easily.

"Don't worry, some female exorcists treated you..." Rin said.

Amitiel buttoned up her shirt, which was a new, fresh one the exorcists provided. Amitiel looked up at the ceiling, her head rested on the pillow. "Did you kill it?" Amitiel asked. "The other demon?"

Rin looked at her but then gazed away. "...Y-yah."

"Good." Amitiel closed her eyes, as if she was at peace. "It deserved to die. All demons deserve to die."

Rin looked at her, deeply hurt. "Not all of them are bad, Hana."

Amitiel huffed. "They're demons. They're our enemies."

"For you to say all demons are evil is quite selfish and judgemental, don't you think?"

"Do you foolishly believe in a demon with pure intentions?" Amitiel spat.

"Yes, because they exist." Rin looked away to avoid the possibility of showing his hurt in front of Hana.

"Who are you to say they exist?" Amitiel said.

Rin closed his eyes, "because I believe in them."

Silence surrounded Amitiel and Rin as the others around them were socializing. Everything was peaceful for Amitiel until Rin had the courage to open his mouth again. "You knew about the demon's presence, didn't you? Before all this happened?"

Amitiel opened her tired eyes. She breathed out a sigh as she replied honestly, "yes."

"Why didn't you tell me? You should have said something. If you did, we wouldn't have been so unprepared," Rin said. "And you… wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Amitiel bit her lip and looked away from Rin's suspicious gaze, "I didn't tell anyone because no one would believe me. If I were to tell the truth, no one would even listen."

Rin responded, "but you were right!"

"It's done, okay? Let's just forget about this, please," Amitiel croaked. Rin saw she was breathing harder and the monitor was beeping faster.

"But if that happens again, please let me know. I'll believe you, I promise," Rin said. "Your pretty honest, almost too much."

"I have no choice but to be honest..." Amitiel replied in a hoarse whisper. She felt a sharp pain in her chest and her whole body shook. Her eyes met Rin's concerned blue eyes and he knew there was something wrong with Amitiel. She doesn't seem to get any better. In fact, she looks to be getting worse.

Amitiel closed her eyes as if this were going to be the last time her eyes could see the light. "Rin, I must tell you something."

"What?" Rin almost jumped at her in worry.

"In a few moments, I'll... change drastically." She panted. Rin noticed her eyes were getting bloodshot. Her face was so clammy it looked wet. "Whatever you see... don't be worried about me."

"What do you mean?" Rin's heart stopped.

Amitiel relaxed her whole body and suddenly a long, loud beep rang from the monitor. Rin saw only a horizontal red line passing by the screen, no wave shot up, nothing. It was flat as a dead heart.

She was dead.

"Hana?" Rin squeaked, then raised his voice as panic overtook his sanity. "Hana! HANA! SOMEBODY HELP!"

The students all noticed Rin's panic and noticed the sound of the monitor. Shiemi cried and Rin screamed for help.

"Shit!" Ryuji yelled. "HELP! WE NEED SOME HELP!"

"Tanaka-san!" Konekomaru was paralysed by fear.

The room suddenly poured with exorcists as they rushed to Amitiel's bedside. They pushed Rin out of the way as a doctor checked her pulse and breathing. She shook her head and one of the exorcists immediately cupped their hands under her neck and knees. Rin was on the floor now, his legs numb and his mind was rushing.

Rin was able to noticed a tall figure run into the room. It was Hana's father.

Raziel ran to Amitiel and offered to lift her out of the bed. Her head and limbs fell limp as Raziel rushed her out of the room into the emergency section of the hospital.

Rin's wide eyes concentrated on Hana's body and her passed out face until it was wiped out of sight as she passed by the wall.

* * *

**A/N: I apologize, I couldn't publish this chapter on Christmas because I had no access to a computer! I was away for the holidays so that's way I had to postpone the publishing date (its on my profile).**

**Sorry if this chapter was too long, I couldn't find a way to divide it, so please bear with me and my long-ass chapters ^_^'**

**I got a laptop finally (even though its for university lol)! Thanks to my parents I can finish these chapters much faster on my pc than on my stupid Ipad that crashes 22474792483239 times**

**UPDATED ON: May 16, 2016 2:22pm EST.**


	14. Chapter 13: Aureola Febris

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火**__**—**_**_Angel Fire_**

**_Chapter 13: Aureola Febris_**

* * *

**_This can't be happening..._**

Sweat was forming on his pale forehead, threatening to drip down his paralyzed face. It was moments like these that Rin couldn't handle. His mind only flooded with flashbacks of his father, his death before his own tender eyes. He began to feel that familiar fear; the fear of someone dying; someone he—

Rin shook his head and breathed out a shuddering sigh, shaking off those feelings. He didn't want to remind himself of those feelings. The half-demon leaned his back against the wall and he rested his head on it, with his black-blue hair laying limp over his eyes, shadowing the fear in them.

Rin, instead, tried to convince himself of what had happened wasn't real, but it felt just as real as a kick in the face, throbbing and bleeding red.

Rin wrapped himself in his arms. The hairs on his arms were on end and goosebumps had formed and showed no sign of going away. His back felt so stiff it hurt, even just breathing was difficult for him. He had been like this the past hour and he did nothing but stare in the emptiness of the dorm hallway. His face was frozen in shock. Rin's ears rang whenever he heard doctors shouting, even just a noise caused his whole body to jolt. Rin squeezed his eyes shut and the images of Hana flashed in his mind. Her wound. The blood. That demon. Hana's body collapsing on him. It all replayed in his mind, and he didn't know how to shake off those images, except to pull at his dark, messy blue hair hoping they would go away.

_Every single thing, it's all my fault—!_

Rin's head jerked to where a sound was heard. The door to Hana's room opened and Yukio walked out. His walking was slow and his balance seemed offset. Most importantly, Yukio looked exhausted. He had been called to help due to his uncanny skills as a doctor.

Rin saw the look on his brother's face—it was just as shocked as his. Yukio closed the door in a hurry and walked in Rin's direction in the hallway.

"Yukio! Is she okay?!" Rin yelled and stopped him in his tracks.

Yukio's eyes were wide and he was unresponsive. The only thing Rin could understand was his brother's body shuddering.

"Yukio! I'm talking to you dammit!" Rin pushed Yukio back when he attempted to cut past him.

"Nii-san..." Yukio answered weakly, his glasses had a bright glare on the lenses, preventing Rin from seeing his distraught eyes.

"What is it? Answer me!" Rin shook him back and forth.

"...I don't know how," Yukio sighed.

"What do you mean you don't know!?" Rin stopped and his eyes widened.

"I don't even know because I haven't seen anything like it before!" Yukio slapped his older brother's hands away from him and he shoved past him.

"Huh?!" Rin's eyes remained wide and his fear for Hana's health only got stronger. Yukio knew everything when it comes to school and his career as an exorcist specializing in medicine. It was expected from Rin that Yukio knew everything about the subject. But... seeing him clueless really scared Rin. What terrifies Rin is that there is something wrong with Hana that even Yukio couldn't understand.

Just for a moment, a loud terrifying scream roared across the hallway, and Rin immediately recognized that scream.

"Hana!" Rin ran towards Hana's dorm, ignoring his brother's pleas to come back.

Rin burst the door open and he gasped in pure horror. Before him was Hana, surrounded by exorcists. What he witnessed as Hana was no longer the girl he once knew. She was entirely different. Her hair was so messy and knotty he could barely see her face. Rin backed away and hit his back against the wall as he watched as Amitiel clawed at the exorcists. Some even had sharp gashes on their faces. Most were busy holding her down as an exorcist prepared a sleeping agent with a needle. That exorcist was Hiroshi Tanaka. His face was bland, unworried—as if nothing unusual was happening to his daughter.

It was as if he knew what to do.

Raziel raised the needle before him and pointed the tip at the ceiling. He walked briskly over to Amitiel. "Hold her down!" The doctors held her arms and legs down as Raziel began to inject the needle through her arm. Amitiel's eyes snapped open when she felt a pinch in her arm and she squealed helplessly. She jerked her body and recoiled her back, wiggling herself free from the doctors' grip. Rin's ears hurt from the angel's terrifying roars as she broke free. One by one the doctors were punched and kicked out of her way, and the angel also grabbed one by the neck and threw him at the wall towards Rin. He dived aside just in time for the exorcist to smash in the wall in Rin's previous place. Raziel held her down as he pushed the pump of the needle down and the medicine flowed into her body. Amitiel roared violently and tried to break free from Raziel's burly arm that was held over her chest. Amitiel screamed and jerked her head side to side, kicking her legs. Her cry was unlike anything Rin had ever heard. It was deep and demonic—it didn't sound much like a girl's cry.

"Hana—!" Rin ran towards the bed, unaware of how much of a threat the angel really was.

Raziel recognized Rin's presence but didn't allow that to distract him.

However, Rin pushed his way past the exorcists and tried to pull Raziel away from Hana, yet he had no success. His strength was outmatched to the archangel, who had strength he never felt. "Let her go, you're hurting her!" Rin pleaded and began punching Raziel in the arm with his fists.

"Okumura, stay back," Raziel spoke sincerely.

"Stop it! You'll kill her—!" Rin gasped and felt a sharp pain hit his face. Rin was blown away and he fell down on the floor. Something hot and painful dripped from his cheek. He touched his cheek and his fingers were stained with red blood. Rin's eyes widened and he looked back at Hana's bed from the ground, her hand was stained with his blood. Raziel was holding her down so hard Rin thought Hana was reacting because she was in pain. Rin screamed and tried to break Raziel up from Hana, until he felt an enormous pressure around his neck. He looked at his neck and saw a hand grasping his sensitive throat. He immediately recognized that hand.

"H-Ha...na..." Rin coughed and wheezed. The doctors all stopped in shock and fear. Raziel stood as he stared at Amitiel. He took a step back and watched. No one was aware that Raziel was reaching over his coat for his long dagger.

Rin's eyes met hers. He felt her breathing, it was hoarse and... _Cold_. Rin reached for her hand around his neck and pulled it away, but it was useless. Even when he tried to break himself free, she still stared at him, as if deciding whether or not to kill him. Her eyes looked murderous, bloodshot and black with red vessels flowing around her eyes. What shocked Rin was those glowing eyes—her pupils were glowing.

Rin remained silent as he stared at Amitiel, her grip slowly squeezed the life out of him. It was unlike any strength he had ever felt. It was just like his.

Rin relaxed as his deep blue eyes showed deep concern. "H-Hana...it's—" Rin coughed and wheezed. "It's me...Rin..."

Amitiel stared for a few moments when suddenly Rin felt her grip weaken. Her face slowly relaxed and her eyes became big, as if, somehow, she recognized him.

"Hana..." Rin whispered hoarsely.

The two continued to stare, then Raziel held Amitiel just in time before her eyes rolled back and she passed out.

Rin stood in the centre of the room. He observed the doctors as they treated Amitiel. Everything around him seemed to move so slow, the doctors looked blurry as they passed by Rin's sight. Here he was, standing like stone, useless. He only watched as everyone made every contribution they can to help the poor girl, yet here he was frozen, his feet were stuck to the ground as if they were glued to the floor. Amid the chaos, the only thought running through the demon's head sent shivers down his spine.

Is it possible Hana could be like him?

* * *

Yukio's boots clicked onto the empty, glossy floors. It was dawn, the end of the day was nigh as the sun sunk slowly into the water on the horizon, slowly swallowed by the black-blue depths of the ocean. The academy was quiet and empty, with no living soul in sight. Through the high, crystal clean windows, the last rays of hot sunlight poured into the hallway and foyer, painting the walls with warm hues of oranges and reds.

Yukio kept his head straight ahead, confident and in control. But deep down inside, he was skeptical and cautious. Yukio recollected in his mind the number of odd traits he had witnessed from Hana. Her abnormal behaviour, first of all, was what triggered his suspicions towards her. What confirmed them was her abnormal healing and now..._this_. It was nothing like he'd ever seen before, the students have said that they saw one of the demons injure Hana, but... her behaviour was not a sign of a Naberius' miasma. Did a demon really do this? She didn't even act human anymore.

She didn't even look human.

Yukio never doubted his senses.

It all makes sense: Hana is not human. But what is she? She could be a demon, possessing a teenage girl, but he will have to test his hypothesis in order to prove so. If he can uncover the truth, the evidence, the proof—that she is a demon—he would exorcise her. He must find out if she's after his brother. For what his brother is, Yukio knew demons will be coming after him—and they could be in disguise. They could mask into the form of a sweet, innocent human girl in front of the eyes of the public, but they cannot hide their true forms from the eyes of the exorcists.

Yukio _will_ find the answers; he _will_ find the truth.

Yukio came back into reality when he heard footsteps echoing nearby. Yukio stopped at the top of a staircase and gazed down. He noticed Mr. Neuhaus made his way down the wide stairs to the main floor of the foyer. Yukio narrowed his eyes, remembering the clear look of terror on his brother's face—a look signifying a threat before him. Yukio changed courses and followed the older teacher down the stairs. His grip glided tightly on the smooth, gold rim as he called, "Mr. Neuhaus."

The teacher from below stopped his walking and turned back.

"May I have a word with you?" Yukio asked from atop.

Mr. Neuhaus replied, "what is it?"

Yukio continued walking down the stairs as he answered, "the actions you committed yesterday clearly overstepped the boundaries of the exam. May I ask what you were doing?"

Mr. Neuhaus remained silent as Yukio continued, "even if it was for the sake of the evaluation, you've exposed the students to too much danger, and one of them has been severely hurt because of your recklessness. The exam itself nearly turned into a disaster."

Yukio stood before Mr. Neuhaus. The teacher remained silent as Yukio added in low tone, "—and one more thing: you've almost revealed my brother's "power" in front of the other students. Only a handful of our comrades know of my brother's "power". You have sworn your loyalty to Sir Pheles of keeping this confidential, correct?"

Mr. Neuhaus looked blankly at Yukio with his one eye. "I have sworn loyalty to Pheles and only followed his orders."

Yukio was surprised, "what?"

Mr. Neuhaus continued calmly, "I am commanded to confront Rin Okumura with offensive force. I dare say if you were chosen to act as the brakes of his "power", then mine is his "accelerator". It's all to gauge Rin Okumura's capabilities, in a more direct and physical manner, that is all."

Yukio was taken aback by his words, "what do you mean by that?"

"I don't mean anything—those are my orders. We will test Rin Okumura to confirm whether or not he can be used as the Order's "weapon"."

Yukio fell silent and his gaze rested on the floor.

"I guess it would make sense that you and I can share our demon babysitting duties. A clever exorcist such as yourself would surely have their hands full," Mr. Neuhaus said then began walking away.

"... If what you said is valid, then you must know something," Yukio's glasses glared, covering his serious blue eyes.

Yukio remained silent for a second then broke it, raising his aqua blue eyes to the teacher. "...My brother is capable of controlling his "power" and emotions. You must have seen that with your own eye. I warn you—do not underestimate my brother's abilities." Yukio looked away from Neuhaus' stern gaze. Deep inside, Yukio knew all he said was a lie. He had seen his brother, in those blue flames, and how much he...changed. Ever since his own twin brother was responsible for his father's death, Yukio didn't know if he could trust Rin anymore, because he cannot trust the flames.

But he still wants to protect Rin, because he is still his brother. The only blood-relative he always had. Without him, Yukio had no purpose.

Mr. Neuhaus stopped and cocked his head, "I'm no enemy here. I wouldn't really kill him, so rest assured."

* * *

Raziel watched her chest rise and fall steadily. Amitiel slept heavily. He knew the moment he saw her when he ran in the recovery room, she was in deep trouble. She had summoned him through a prayer when she had collapsed. If she hadn't done that—she would be dead. Raziel sat on a chair, facing himself to Amitiel's bed. Amitiel's hand wrapped around his. He knew this was not a usual stab, sure, it left severe injuries behind, but the demon injured something else—a part of Amitiel. Whatever the demon hit, it only grazed it, resulting in Amitiel's collapse and not death, but still—she's fighting to stay alive.

Raziel ran his hand down his face as he continued watching the angel sleep. Angels are constantly aware of how to protect their weaknesses, how to protect their life force—demons are always after it, it is the angel's weakness.

Raziel stood up and checked the IV bag connected to the angel. He moved to the counter beside the bed and pulled out a drawer. Inside the drawer were many needles. He picked one up and rested it against the counter. Raziel removed the cap of the shaft and moved the needle to the sink. He pressed on the plunger and the liquid medicine squirted out into the sink. Human drugs will have no effect for Amitiel's case, she needed something simpler. When the needle was emptied, Raziel reached into the cabinets under the sink and pulled out a large jug of what looked like saline water. Inside the jug was a silver rosary.

Raziel unscrewed the cap of the jug and withdrew some of the holy water into the barrel of the needle—where it contained the water.

Raziel walked over to the angel's IV and injected the needle into the plug of the hose on the IV. He pressed and the liquid flowed out of the needle and into the tube, then inside Amitiel.

After a few moments, Raziel noticed some movement coming from the angel. He saw her head jerk around, as if she was a having a nightmare. Her hands clenched and unclenched and the angel panted. Her eyes were shut so hard the lids wrinkled. Raziel sat down and rested his hand onto Amitiel's.

Amitiel relaxed and her eyes no longer wrinkled. Raziel used his thumb and stroked her forehand.

Raziel slowly let go and sat back onto the chair. He leaned back and rubbed his fingers against his forehead.

* * *

By the time Yukio entered the dormitory, it was dark. He checked the kitchen to see if Rin had prepared supper, but the kitchen was just as dead and dark as the night, unused and cold. Yukio sighed in worry and made his way up the staircase towards his own dorm. Yukio approached his dorm and was reaching for the knob, but he only stopped. Yukio's cold hand laid suspended around the knob, then he raised it and gently knocked on the door.

"Nii-san?"

No reply.

Yukio sighed and walked in, then he realized his brother was sleeping in his bed. The covers looked like a big lump, except there were feet sticking out from the end. As usual, that was how Rin slept.

Yukio gently closed the door without making a click and he set his bag down on the chair beside his study desk. He turned on the small lamp on his desk and looked over at Rin's bedside. Yukio tried his best to fetch some paperwork in his bag without making a noise.

"I can't take it any more..."

Yukio lifted his head up and looked at the lump on Rin's bed. Yukio realized Rin was turned over facing the wall.

"You're still awake?" Yukio asked, but Rin ignored.

"This... all of this," Rin clenched the blanket in his fists. "That demon... It was after me! And now..." Rin grit his teeth in frustration. "People are dying because of me!"

"Nii-san, relax—" Yukio reassured.

"I-I can't live with myself if she's dead," Rin said shakily, but there was a hint of anger in his voice. "Not after the Old Man's— I promised I wouldn't allow anyone else to die because of me!"

Yukio could do nothing but look sympathetically at him.

"I-I... I heard her screams... I-I _saw_ her die…" Rin shuddered.

"Nii-san, listen to me," Yukio said.

Rin's face softened at Yukio's tone. He heard... hope, reassurance. Rin threw the covers off his face and looked back at his twin. There was a bandage on his cheek.

"Tanaka-san is okay," Yukio sighed.

"Really?!" Rin's heart palpated.

"I got an update on her condition, and apparently she's been stabilized. She's just sleeping, so if you really need to see her as reassurance, then you can do so tomorrow," Yukio said then pulled out some important paperwork from his binder.

Rin felt as if a huge weight lifted off his shoulders, almost as if he was holding a large boulder of his burdens on his back—because he was weak. But now, it felt nothing but light as a feather, and he was strong again as he lifted that massless weight like a strong-willed individual.

"Now, I have to go," Yukio said as he held the papers in his hand and looked at his brother directly in the eyes. "I came back solely to have supper but I guess you just got really lazy since your exam, huh?"

Rin puffed his cheeks and shouted, "hey, I spent a year's worth of my energy on that friggin' exam, give me a damn break!"

* * *

Days went by as regular, boring ones. Nothing had happened since the exam, but what really bothered all the students was the awfully intense anticipation for the exam results.

There was no cram school today—that was a benefit for performing the Exwire Certification Exam, which left most students with wounds. This was a day given to allow the students to rest and recover—it would be quite suspicious if they had attended school with burns, cuts, and scars all over their bodies. The existence of the cram school and its students must be strictly confidential. Shima referred to the fact that they were "secret agents in the secret 'trying-to-save-the-world-from-murderous-horny-monsters' society,' known as the Knights of the True Cross". It felt as if he was part of some greater cause to the world, like Shima was an important figure.

"Well, were all doing what the rest couldn't," Suguro said as he rested his body onto the warm, freshly cut green grass. The smell of it lingered in the wind, and the sun radiated so bright and hot the grass felt warm against Suguro's skin. He raised his arms and clasped his hands at the back of his head on the grass.

"Or maybe they just don't want to believe demons are real," Konekomaru said as he sat down and crossed his legs.

"Well, they're a bunch of cowardly idiots, then," Suguro sneered.

"I wonder if we passed..." Shima trailed away, remembering about the exam.

"Since when do you care?" Suguro lifted his head off the grass. "You're the one who didn't even wanna come here in the first place!"

"Well, you and Koneko wanted to go. I only came because you wanted to," Shima smiled coolly and shrugged his shoulders. "Besides, were all buddies, huh? It'd be boring around here without me, right?"

Konekomaru smiled warmly and picked at the grass. "Yah, I guess no matter what, we all need each other."

"Hey! It was my idea to go in the first place! You guys just dragged your asses with me because you felt you had to babysit me!" Suguro said, almost shouting.

"Well, that's what friends are for, right?" Konekomaru said with a pleased smile.

Suguro dropped his head on the fluffy grass and smirked with his eyes closed delicately. The warm rays of sun gracing his face put him at peace. "Yah, that's right...unfortunately."

"Hey! You're lucky to even know me," Shima cooed. "I'm a big deal around here, y'know!"

Konekomaru chuckled.

Silence followed after the conversation. The trio looked around themselves, observing the students coming in and out of the buildings, sitting and talking at the benches, eating lunches, studying—just doing normal things for normal teenagers.

"Man," Shima spoke suddenly. "I feel so special that we have no school today. I mean, I kinda wanna go now, y'know, to talk to the ladies and all." Shima made a perverted smirk as he daydreamed about some girls he observed during his classes.

"What the hell? You _wanna_ go to school?"

The trio looked beside Shima to find Rin standing beside him. He wore a desaturated-green plaid long-sleeved shirt and faded jeans with rips in them from the fights he got into.

"Okumura-kun!" Konekomaru exclaimed.

"'Sup!" Shima said with a wave of his hand.

"Hey, do you know what's up with Hana?" Suguro asked. The mere sight of Rin reminded him of the girl. "I mean... She _passed out_. You must know through your brother, right?" Suguro sat up and put his arms over his bent legs.

Rin jerked a little at the name. "Oh! Uh... s-she's gonna be fine, I guess..."

"You 'guess'?" Suguro raised an eyebrow.

"Well, she's sleeping... A lot." Rin put his hands in his pockets and shrugged his shoulders.

"God, I hope she's okay..." Konekomaru said in worry.

"Hey, what's up with your cheek?" Suguro raised both his eyebrows as he pointed at Rin. He noticed something red.

Rin touched his cheek, trailing his fingers over the gashes Hana left behind. They were already beginning to heal, thankfully.

"I-It's nothing... I got it from that demon." Rin looked away.

Suguro remained silent, even though he knew he hadn't seen that until today. He didn't see Rin's face all patched up with cuts before Hana's collapse.

"Oh, well that makes sense. I thought someone kicked your ass or somethin'," Suguro jeered.

Rin shot an angry stare at him. "I'd kick yours so hard it falls off and you cry!"

"Wanna test that theory?!" Ryuji raged and balled his fists. "C'mon, bring it on!"

"E-Easy, Bon..." Konekomaru tried to cool Ryuji's anger by patting him on the back. Renzo just shrugged his shoulders and watched the show.

Ryuji cooled down, "okay, fine." Ryuji sighed before he added something else along the line with a devilish smirk, "I don't wanna hurt a _girl_ anyways."

"What!?"

* * *

He didn't know what to do any more, the moment he stood in front of that door, he froze. The tray with a delicious bowl of food trembled from his cold, sweating hands. He couldn't do this, this feeling of culpability plaguing his very soul whenever he even thought of Hana, it was terrorizing him. He was scared to touch the knob, enter the room, and cause more hurt to Hana. He was the reason she's in this state, along with Paku. That Naberius was after him, and yet because of him his friends are always hurt. He felt as if he was always engulfed in those cursed blue flames, and whenever he would take a step closer to them, even touched them, the flames would devour them—possibly kill his loved ones, unfortunately that happened to his father.

_I'll just... drop this off and leave..._ Rin thought, then puffed up his chest, exhaled, and turned the knob. Yukio said it would be kind of Rin if he made Hana some noodles for when she wakes up from her recovery. Rin was against the idea, but then Yukio starting saying his lecture about Rin being a total train-wreck and how the teachers (adults in general) look down on him for his bad behaviour, which forced Rin to obey his orders in order to shut that Four-Eyes up.

_God, why..._ Rin thought. He couldn't look at her any more, not since that Naberius almost killed her in his place.

Rin pushed the door open. The moment Rin could see the inside of the room he forced a smile. All he paid attention to was not Hana, but the small, bedside table that sat empty. It was almost dark in the room, despite the sun was an hour from setting. Rin approached her bedside without making eye contact with Hana. A small lamp was lit at her desk, slightly filling that area with a warm orange light.

She was asleep, but her breathing was more of a wheezing, and he could see the sweat build up in her hair, almost drenching it. Her eyes were tightly closed, many wrinkles piled up on her eyelids. She was shutting them so hard as if she was staring directly at the sun.

Rin took an unsteady inhale, opened his mouth, and whispered, "h-hey... Hana, I made you some..." Rin found himself trailing off when Hana's head looked away from him.

Suddenly, Rin almost dropped the tray after he saw something on her neck. All over it. He must be overreacting, but he could swear on his eyes that he saw what looked like glowing white veins running through her neck. Rin stood agape. This must not be real, it was impossible to believe. He had never seen this before, and it scared him. Could it be from the Naberius? Rin discarded the thought right away. The thought that the Naberius would cause glowing veins didn't quite fit together. Then what caused this mysterious, supernatural phenomena? Rin gasped when a deep, mature voice reached his ears. It was Raziel.

"Okumura Rin," was all Raziel said. Not a single sign of a welcoming tone was heard in his voice.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry, I-I'll come back another time." Rin immediately responded and set the tray down—a little too hard at that. How could he not see him? Rin felt this uneasiness as if the exorcist was judging him this very moment. Raziel stood beside the dark curtains, completely shadowing his figure in a blanket of darkness. Rin watched vigilantly as Raziel stepped out in front of the window, a halo of bright orange sunlight radiated from the perimeter of his body.

"No, it's alright, Okumura," he said as he crossed his arms firmly. Rin looked away and just stood there, his thumbs were tucked in his jean pockets, sweating from the nerve-wrecking air around him. Everything was silent, safe for Amitiel's weak, hoarse breathing. Rin never noticed that Raziel stared him down, like a hawk spotting its prey. Raziel traced Rin's fine features of his cheekbones and chin, then Raziel's eyes moved towards his lips, his sharp canines peeked out a bit. Rin bit his lip and Raziel's gaze climbed up towards the boy's eyes. His sharp blue eyes. Staring at that mass of blue seemed like staring into a memory. The colour blue always symbolized _him_, reminded Raziel of _him_.

Raziel blinked and gazed away, shaking off those thoughts when he spoke, "sit down, there is no need to feel like a bother. She is asleep." He held his hand out to the seat beside Rin.

Rin's eyes looked up, the sun's light glowed in his big sapphire eyes. Rin nodded slightly and took the seat by Amitiel's bedside.

"Is she gonna be alright?" Rin asked, then felt stupid at how obvious the answer was. Of course seeing freaky glowing veins on her neck was considered 'alright'. Rin wanted to punch himself in the face for that.

"I doubt that," Raziel said, catching Rin's attention by his answer. Rin did not anticipate that response.

"Huh?" Rin said.

Raziel leaned back against the window and observed the sleeping girl. "_Aureola Febris_ is a severe condition, as you can see."

That response caught Rin off guard. Something about what he said confused him. "What? What's 'Aura hola fibre'? Is that an illness or something?" Rin inquired.

"No, more like a heart attack."

Rin felt his heart break through his ribcage. "What?! Why isn't she in the hospital?!" Rin responded, shouting. He was seconds away from jumping out of his chair. What the hell is he saying? He thought. A heart attack? That couldn't make sense. Rin then looked at Amitiel, the glowing veins could still be seen through her thin strands of blond hair. Her head was jerking now, as if she was experiencing a nightmare.

Rin looked at Amitiel, "how are glowing vessels considered a friggin' heart attack?" Rin looked back at Raziel with a glare. He could swear Raziel knew about the glowing veins, but why is he so calm as if it was normal? "What did you do?!" Rin shouted now. His fists were clenched. He realized he was standing now.

"Calm yourself. She can recover on her own, her angelic powers will heal her halo from _Aureola Febris_," Raziel responded, still calm and composed.

"Prayers and all that other religious crap won't do her any good! She needs a doctor, NOW—!" Rin stopped midway, recollecting what Raziel had said. Rin's eyes widened in confusion and shock as he carefully repeated odd words from Raziel's response, "angelic...powers...halo? What—"

"Her halo is in distress as it seems. It will take time to heal, but she will have to suffer through this illness." Raziel continued than walked towards her, his boots tapped deeply against the wooden floor. Each step Raziel took towards Hana felt like Rin was getting slapped, his mind screamed at him to just strangle him, for what he would do to her if he got any closer, but Rin's body had become unresponsive to his mind.

"Stop! What the hell did you do to her?! Tell me!" Rin shouted.

Raziel stopped and locked his hands behind his back, "I did nothing. It was none other than that Naberius. You have noticed the early symptoms of her condition, correct?" Rin said nothing. "That demon is clever for uncovering her weakness. Halos are quite difficult to expose as we keep them well hidden and protected, but somehow the girl had let her guard down, what I wonder though is how... and why," Raziel continued to speak for what seemed like a foreign language to Rin.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about..." Rin could only stay still, gritting his teeth. The exorcist hadn't move, just stood there staring at Rin.

Raziel lowered his head, his green eyes almost glowed in the darkness, "surely you would know, especially for your _kind_."

"...My_kind_?" Rin said ill-disposedly. Deep down inside, he knew what Raziel was implying: his heritage—his true identity.

"… Who the hell are you?" Rin asked.

"My name is Hiroshi Tanaka," Raziel responded with a composed frown.

"No, I mean _what_ the hell are you?" Rin frowned, his teeth grit together. Something about this guy was bothering Rin, is he actually a human? Or something else? If yes, is he a demon?

"I am surprised you have not realized it yet." The corner of Raziel's lip twitched up, but only for a mere second. "You used to believe in this... species whom mankind has so little information about. If I say it accurately, your foster father spoke to you of this species since your childhood, however I can see you've lost your faith in them since his... murder."

Rin was stunned speechless. His mouth opened, unable to close back up.

_This can't be real_, he thought.

How did he know all this? Surely he wasn't human. Rin had never had contact with this man his entire life, could he have a connection to his father? How can he possibly know what's going on in Rin's head?

But there was something else, something not even Yukio and Shiro Fujimoto would know.

"...H...How did you know that? You're talking about..." Rin tried to finish the sentence, and a part of him sank when he finished, "..._angels_."

Rin saw Raziel raise his chin up in superiority, and his eyes were sincere, and Rin knew he was telling the truth, but he didn't feel an inch of comfort in knowing the exorcist's— no—the angel's true identity. However, he must be lying. Angels don't exist. Rin denied their existence. If they did, his father would still be alive, many people would still be alive—the Blue Night and its victims would be spared. But... deep down inside, he felt relieved. Why was he relieved? Did he really just believe this guy?

"...Does that mean she's...?" Rin trailed off as he looked at Amitiel.

"Yes, she is one, too. But she might not be alive very long, if she is not lucky." Raziel paused to look at Rin, who just stood speechless.

Raziel turned his back on Rin as the boy responded sharply, "what?!" and faced the window.

The sun has set, leaving the city in pitch darkness. The lights off the buildings shone bright against Raziel's sharp face, illuminating it with a pale light. Raziel placed his palm on his chest and continued, "Our halos... they are so extremely powerful yet so extremely delicate, so delicate that a scratch to it—any form of damage—could cause the halo to collapse and die, resulting in the angel's death. It is our life force, but is also our weakness, as well as our heart. Any demon would be intelligent enough to aim for an angel's halo."

Raziel cocked his head back towards Rin, who stood still and stared between Amitiel, then Raziel. "When an angel survives through damage to her halo, their halo will engage in a defensive state to heal—_Aureola Febris_—that is why she attacked you." Raziel looked at Rin's gash on his cheek. "Don't take it too personally, it wasn't her from the start, it was her halo protecting itself." Rin stared at Raziel and slowly reached over to his cheek where the wound was, what she—no—her halo did to him.

Rin noticed his breath was becoming quicker, and he began to feel dizzy—overwhelmed by Raziel's words. Rin managed to take back control of his body and took an unsteady step back, almost falling back.

_Angels...they're really real..._ He thought nervously.

_Hana's a... And I'm a..._

Rin's forehead broke out in a sweat. His skin looked clammy when the moonlight shone on it. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and shook his head. "...I-I can't deal with this. N-No. I... I-I have to go." Rin immediately turned around. His pace quickened when he was closer to the door. He had to get away, he wasn't safe around... _angels_. Rin breathed heavily and was about to reach the knob when suddenly he heard Raziel speak again.

"_Siste_." Raziel said after he raised his palm up towards the boy, who suddenly stood still, as if Raziel was tethering him. Rin stood still, frozen, his eyes were still without a sign of movement in his pupils, he was as still as stone, as if locked in ice. But yet he was still aware of what's happening around him. He didn't complain or even made a sound. He couldn't make a sound.

Raziel lowered his voice and spoke, "when you walk out this door, every memory of what you have witnessed will be permanently forgotten. Once out, you decided to go to your dorm to do homework. Begone." After that, Raziel lowered his hands and Rin suddenly moved again, at the same charging pace he had run before. Rin grabbed the knob, opened the door, and then slammed it shut. Rin's head suddenly drooped for a second and he tried to regain balance by stumbling against the door. He looked up and observed around him. He continuously furrowed his eyebrows and scratched his head, showing a massive amount of confusion on his face. He didn't remember what he was doing here. He didn't know how to explain it, but he felt obligated to return to his dorm and grab a pencil and paper.

Raziel continued to stare at the door, then hummed softly, "Hmm... he's not quite a chip off the old block."

* * *

At last, she was alone to herself. It took a few days for Shiemi to readjust to regular school days ever since the exam, mainly because she was constantly anxious on how she succeeded. But the surprising comfort she received from those people, no, her comrades, on how brave actions are really sparked hope in her heart.

Maybe she could be an exorcist. Maybe she could be strong like Rin, like Yukio.

"That was a stressful day...wasn't it, Nee-chan?" Shiemi smiled as she raised the water can over a small basin of water. Droplets of cool, fresh water tickled Nee and it squeaked in glee.

"Nee!"

The young girl closed her eyes delicately as she recalled those moments of appreciation.

_"Thank you, Moriyama-san," Paku whispered with a smile._

_"—But you saved us. That's all, okay?" Izumo huffed._

_"We would all be dead if it weren't for you, we owe you big time, thank you," Ryuji bowed sincerely_.

Shiemi sighed, graceful.

Shiemi's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a gentle knock on the door. She straightened herself up as she called, "welcome to—"

Shiemi's eyes met with soft, familiar turquoise eyes.

"Yuki-chan!" Shiemi gasped. Her heart started to beat faster.

"Good evening, Shiemi," Yukio smiled.

Shiemi blushed intensely and found herself skimming her mother's desk with her wide eyes, moving aside books and papers, including Nee's washing basin aside.

"Is your mother around?" Yukio asked as he gently closed the door.

Shiemi couldn't resist her urge to blush intensely. "U-Uh, not right now. She's a-away to restock," Shiemi stuttered.

"Ah, I see," Yukio said to himself then managed to pull some papers out from his suitcase. "Then how about we talk about your future?"

_Our future?!_ Shiemi mentally squealed in glee, misinterpreting his words. Her body shook tremendously and her mind felt like it went up to heaven_. I'm alone with him at last!_

'Huh?' Was all Shiemi was able to say.

"It's about your potential career as an exorcist," Yukio raised a sheet, revealing the form she received initially before the exam. She circled the tamer section, but her response for becoming an exorcist was left blank.

"—Oh!" Shiemi jutted out, mistaking Yukio's words.

"I see you left a few things blank, so I came to clear things up with you." Yukio smiled.

"I...see." Shiemi said, her cheerful and shy attitude became somber.

Yukio sat down across her from the desk, Shiemi stood up and went into the kitchen at the back. As Yukio organized his papers, Shiemi came back a few minutes later with a tea set and set it down. She poured Yukio a fresh cup of green tea into his cup and he thanked her.

"You see, my goal here wasn't really to become an exorcist..." Shiemi said, her head was downcast. Yukio sipped his tea as he listened. "I didn't know what to write but..."

Shiemi trailed away, her face looked gloomy. In all honesty, Shiemi didn't really understand why she even enrolled in the first place. She had no intention of fighting demons, however, at the same time, she felt she needed to become an exorcist, in order to redeem herself and become stronger. Strong like Yukio...and Rin.

Yukio smiled, his mind began to waver into the past. "Shiemi, do you remember that time we first met?"

"Huh?" Shiemi said, a little confused.

"Back then, I had just become an exorcist..."

_Yukio tensed as he fixed his collar. His hands couldn't stop shaking and they felt frozen and cold. Sweat built up on his forehead as his mind raced through all the possible embarrassing moments he could make when he steps into—_

_"Loosen up, will ya?" A voice said and Yukio felt a tough pat on his back, which shocked him out of his trance. He looked up beside him at Shiro Fujimoto—his father._

_"What's with the ants in the pants, man? It's just a supply shop!" Shiro said as he looked over at the house before the exorcists._

_"O-oh...okay," Yukio stuttered._

_"What's up, madam?" Shiro called as he and Yukio entered the shop._

_Shiemi's mother looked up and smiled warmly. "Fujimoto, glad to see you! I see you brought someone else—?"_

_"Ah! This here is Yukio. He just became and exorcist. And guess what? He's not even fourteen yet!" Shiro laughed, despite Yukio was still tense and nervous._

_"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Yukio said then threw his head down in a sincere bow._

_"My, my! What a well-mannered boy you have here, huh?" Shiemi's mother smiled, then took a puff of her cigarette. An idea popped in the woman's mind. "Oh! Shiemi!" Her mother called to the back of her desk._

_"Shiemi, come here and meet these gentlemen!"_

_Yukio tensed even more when a small, soft hand touched around the door to the living room. And there revealed an angel before his eyes. Shiemi's head peeked out from the door and she stared, cautious and silent. Her green eyes only directed themselves to Yukio, who only tensed his shoulders and tried not to blush._

_"That boy's name is Yukio, he's around the same age as you and he became an exorcist!" Her mother said. "She's my daughter, and she's too shy to even attend school. Perhaps you two could get along!" She said to Yukio, laughing._

_"H-hello, my name's Yukio Okumura," Yukio bowed slowly._

_Shiemi was startled when he spoke to her and she recoiled behind the door, until she peeked out again, whispering, "h-hello..."_

_Shiemi then bolted behind the door. Her little thumps of her feet could be heard._

_"Well then!" Shiemi's mother huffed. "Sorry for her bashfulness, I though Yukio might draw her out, but I guess not."_

_Shiemi's mother turned to Shiro Fujimoto with a welcoming smile. "Anyways, what would you like to stock up on?"_

_After his father restocked on his supplies, Yukio and Shiro left the shop. Yukio took a few steps on the stairs when he heard a voice._

_"Sensei!"_

_Yukio turned around and spotted Shiemi running out of the garden, through the black gate, and down the short stone stairs._

_"Oh? Looks like she's calling for you," Shiro said as he observed the little girl approach Yukio._

_"Huh?! Me?" Yukio pointed at himself, surprised._

_Shiemi held out a small, green four-leaf clover in her small fingers. "It's a good luck charm, be careful at work!" Shiemi spoke fast._

_"Oh? Uh..." Yukio held out his hand and gingerly accepted the charm. "T-thank you."_

_"Sensei..." Shiemi said and her eyes sparkled at Yukio._

_"U-uh...you don't have to call me 'sensei'...how about something like..."_

_"Yuki-chan!"_

_"Huh?" Yukio's eyes widened._

_"Y-Yuki-chan! How's that?" Shiemi stuttered._

_"Huh?! I-It's..." Yukio saw her face glow as their eyes met. Shiro made a small whistle at the conversation between the two. "...It's...nice... I like that."_

"Ah! I was so embarrassing at that time! Sorry..." Shiemi squealed as she tried to cover her deep red blush with her hands. "It's just...I admired you so much, Yuki-chan..."

Yukio blushed as he deflected her compliment. "I'm not that much an admirable person..." Yukio spoke softly. "I used to be a crybaby when I was little, and Nii-san always helped me out. He was the one I admired and depended on the most."

"Rin?" Shiemi asked.

"Yes...Nii-san... could always do what I couldn't." Yukio said as he recalled moments when Rin was his hero. Such as climbing the utility pole just to collect Yukio's hat that was blown off his head by the wind. Even amongst the danger of falling or even being electrocuted, Rin smiled proudly.

"I always looked up to him."

"Well, Rin _is_ a nice guy!" Shiemi beamed.

"Right. But everyone needs to grow up at some point," Yukio became serious. "I had to depend on myself so that I could be strong."

Shiemi's smile drained away as Yukio continued. "That's why you need to work even harder than before, Shiemi-san, if you plan to become an exorcist. To become an exorcist comes with great sacrifice, so you must be prepared to risk your life." Yukio stood up and held his suitcase.

"Discuss that with your mother, and be prepared to make your decision tomorrow," Yukio said.

"I will..." Shiemi said, then raised the teapot. "Would you like more tea?"

Yukio stopped and hesitated, then decided to accept her offering. "Alright, one more." Yukio sat back down.

"I apologize that you need to worry about me. I know how busy you could become," Shiemi smiled sadly as she poured another cup of tea for Yukio.

"I can manage," Yukio smiled. Suddenly, Mr. Neuhaus' words echoed in his head.

_A clever exorcist such as yourself would surely have their hands full._

_I wouldn't really kill him, so rest assured._

Yukio gasped and his face became pale. His heart began to palpitate as he bolted up and made his way to the door. "I have to go, sorry."

Shiemi stood up confused as she called, "Yuki-chan?"

_He can't be—_

* * *

_**A/N: *dodges bricks* I'M SORRY FOR THIS HUGE DELAY! I had exams and then I was supposed to post this chapter yesterday but then WENT DOWN. I'm sorry peoples! Don't hate me!:'D I'll try to submit earlier and stick to the deadlines, I really will!**_

**Anyway, sorry for the delay and here's what you've all been waiting for**


	15. Chapter 14: Vendetta

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 14: Vendetta**_

* * *

_**He can't be—!**_

Yukio bolted out of the door and began charging towards the bridge to True Cross Academy. Darkness fell over the area, leaving nothing but the lights of the buildings and streets illuminating from down below, casting a glow under Yukio's figure. The imposing shadow of True Cross Academy stood tall and dark before him, only partially illuminated by the many lights through the thousands of windows. It looked like a night sky from its amazing size and lights doting its surface. Darkness loomed in the sky, the light of the celestial stars and the pale moon were consumed by black, menacing clouds. Yukio ran down the steps to Shiemi's house and exited through the small gate leading to the bridge. He didn't bother to close it. He plunged in the darkness. The light from within Shiemi's home glowed through the windows, still faintly latching on to Yukio's figure as if preventing him from being consumed by darkness. The concentrated darkness was getting darker and the light from the house grew weaker and weaker as he walked further away.

Yukio stepped onto the concrete of the bridge and looked ahead. He was only surrounded by darkness, but the only spark of hope he had was finding his brother before it was too late. The tower the bridge led to stood still, looming across the dark, open expanse. The door was closed and Yukio held his keys in his hands, preparing to return to his dorm, before Rin is—

"Yuki-chan!"

Yukio gasped and turned around. Shiemi rested her delicate hand on his shoulder and directed him to her. A bright, warm halo of light enveloped the perimeter of her figure from the lights of her home, which stood still behind her in the distance. Her big, innocent green eyes almost glowed through the darkness, only showing deep concern. Yukio's heart seemed to have relaxed now that he took a look at her. Her delicate, platinum blonde strands of hair shone bright like that of an angel's halo wrapping around its head. To Yukio, Shiemi was the light in the dark around him.

"What's wrong?" Shiemi asked, her soft voice was tinged in worry.

"It's nothing. I have to do something," Yukio said then turned his back on her, preventing his eyes from giving away his emotions.

Shiemi remained still, the cool spring air blew across the bridge. Her glowing strands danced in the air along with her kimono. "You're hiding something from me, aren't you?"

Yukio looked back, "it's not that I—"

"Stop that!"

Yukio was startled at her sudden outburst. It was very rare for Shiemi to become angry. She only did when she knew her friend was in trouble. Not only when in physical trouble, but also emotionally. "You act as if everything is okay around me when it's not!" Shiemi cried. "Why do you always keep things to yourself? Don't you ever consider those who are willing to help you?"

"Shiemi..."

"Why... why can't you depend on me for once?" Shiemi snapped. "D-Do you...not trust me?" Her eyes threatened Yukio's guilt to come out.

Yukio was speechless. "I-I—"

The wind whistled past the two, sending their clothes flapping in the wind. Only silence between the two, the whistling of the wind and the sound of the traffic below could be heard. The wind settled, Shiemi's blond strands laid perfectly on her shoulders, which were stiff as she clenched her fists.

"Please..." Shiemi spoke softly as she looked down. "Let me help."

Yukio bowed his head down. A sense of shame hit him. Even when she couldn't see his face, it was as if Shiemi could understand everything about him, even when he hid his emotions so well. She was just as keen as Rin, always able of noticing when their friends and family are troubled. It was a gift—a gift Yukio really appreciated from his friends. Even when he kept convincing himself that he was fine when he really wasn't, he knew his friends would know the truth. He trusted them. More than himself.

Yukio decided to put his full trust in Shiemi. He breathed out a sigh and adjusted his glasses. "Okay."

Shiemi's angry face slowly turned into a small smile. She relaxed and unclenched her fists.

"I have to check on Nii-san. I think he might be in trouble," Yukio said, without revealing the reason.

"Rin always gets in trouble, Yuki-chan." Shiemi smiled sadly.

"This is even more serious... to the point his life is at stake," Yukio whispered, as he loaded his pistol with a magazine and slammed it in the slot.

"So what do you want me to do?" Shiemi asked, without inquiring for the details.

* * *

By the time Yukio entered his dorm, it was too late—much too late for saving Rin.

"N-Nii-san—" Yukio's face turned pale as the moon. His heart palpitated so hard he could feel it slam against his rib cage. "What are you DOING?!"

"I... Have no friggin' idea..." Rin murmured. Yukio's head jerked around his brother and his desk. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"You—and that pencil—and that paper—Is that a _textbook_?!" Yukio was startled.

"...Y-yah..."

"H-how...?" Yukio covered his mouth in utter shock. Shiemi was confused as well.

"Honestly, bro, I don't even know," Rin said then realized his hand held a pencil, perfectly flat and used up. He dropped it and it rolled across the sheet before him, which was filled with words. "Did I get _seriously_ drunk and pass out or somethin'? I just have... This super strong urge to do—"

"Don't say it!" Yukio snapped loudly.

"—homework," Rin finished.

Yukio pulled out his vial of holy water then stopped himself when he realized it would be a bad sight to watch his demon brother scream with his skin smoking, especially in front of Shiemi.

"Oh, SHUT UP!" Rin snapped back at Yukio, baring his sharp canines menacingly.

Yukio had to find a way to cleanse himself of this catastrophic... miracle. He reached for Rin's bed and ripped off his covers and grabbed his pillow.

"Uh, what are you doing?—HEY!" Rin bolted up out of his chair.

"You're sleeping in another room," Yukio simply put.

"Huh?! Why?!" Rin inquired, while making a confused face.

"Just trust me!" Yukio yelled.

"Okay there, chocolate chip cookie face!" Rin said and raised his hands up in surrender with a cheeky grin.

* * *

Dark.

All matter around him was so dark. Although there were many lights that could be seen through the windows, they were not strong enough to survive in this dark corridor. Not even light could seep into the hallway. Silence crept in, but was occasionally disturbed by the rhythm of his boots tapping against the hard wood. He remained quiet as a feather as he crept slowly in the building. He was looking for him. The exorcist that would be a potential threat to his mission. The silence would have convinced others otherwise that the dorm was empty and abandoned, but he would not be easily fooled, and so would be that thing he is looking for.

With a shaking, but gentle sigh, he swept his bangs away from his gaze. Sweat also built up on his forehead. He couldn't afford to mess this up. It was his chance to redeem himself through revenge, for what that monster in those killer blue flames did to him. He held his weapon tightly, his fingers curled around it, ready to strike in an instant.

He stopped suddenly in the middle of the hallway. The dark silence that engulfed him was disturbed by a faint sigh—or rather a yawn.

He moved his emerald green eyes towards a door beside him. He knew the source of the yawn came from behind this very door. Without hesitation, he grasped the knob and gently opened it. Luckily, he didn't make a single creak as he pushed the door open. He was surprised the door was unlocked. Fool.

His eyes widened when he could make out the large bump of covers amid the moonlight from the window. He saw it, and anger and determination silently flared up within him. He was only a few steps away from achieving what he so desperately wanted to do: revenge. It was at his feet, sleeping and snoring, unaware of its impending danger. He smiled eagerly as he grasped his long bladed weapon with both of his bandaged hands and raised it above his head, just hovering above the figure.

His fiery gaze locked with the covers and he drove down his blade and pierced the body, slicing right through the covers and into the bed itself. Memories of his loved ones flashed behind his mind and he raised the weapon again and observed the body.

Something was wrong.

He heard a click and realized it came from right behind his head.

"I thought you weren't going to kill him," Yukio said, his gun was cocked. "Igor Neuhaus."

Mr. Neuhaus looked back at Yukio with a sinister smile, hiding the fact he was furious. The sight of the pillows bundled up with a large cut in them sprouted pure anger within the exorcist. He was fooled miserably.

"Well done, Yukio Okumura." Neuhaus sneered.

* * *

"Rin..."

Rin snapped his eyes open and jumped out of his bed, or rather, the floor. "H-Huh—?!"

"Rin, are you awake?"

"—S-Shiemi?!" Rin snorted and rubbed his eyes. She was on her knees beside him, her face wore a soft, worried look. Amid the darkness, her eyes still were green as ever. Rin looked around himself and realized he was no longer in his dorm, but rather in an empty one. Rin also noticed he had been sleeping on the floor in his blankets.

"Uh, where are we...?!" Rin's head spun around, then his heart began to hit him against the chest. "D-did you and I like—?"

"Be quiet, Yuki-chan moved you to sleep here." Shiemi shushed with a finger held over her soft lips.

"Huh?"

"You were talking in your sleep, so I got a little worried and woke you up."

"Oh... right." Rin blinked, confused. He dodged aside his awkward position and decided to ask something that mattered. "Where's Yukio?"

"He had to do something, so I'm watching over you—"

Rin and Shiemi yelped when a loud, terrifying bang rang across the whole dormitory. Rin knew exactly what it was. Rin and Shiemi looked at each other with their hearts beating fast.

"What's happening?!" Shiemi was startled.

"Shit! Yukio!" Rin got up on his bare feet in his pyjamas, which were mainly loose black sweatpants and a pale gray T-shirt.

Rin charged for the door. "Those were gunshots!"

"Rin! Yuki-chan told me to keep you here!" Shiemi called and held him by his arm. It was surprisingly warm in this cold dorm. "You can't go! It's too dangerous!"

"Who cares?! My brother is up there and I ain't gonna let him down!"

"Rin! Wait!" Shiemi cried out desperately but it was too late. Shiemi stopped herself and watched as Rin ran out of the dorm. The gunshots continued a few more times, which made her body wince. She knew who they were coming from, she just hoped he wasn't getting shot at instead. Yukio had warned her of those sounds and demanded her to not come to his aid, no matter the conditions.

"Yuki-chan..." Shiemi whispered, her voice cracked a little. "What's really going on?"

She trusted him. She knew Yukio was strong—he could withstand anything, but every shot only made her trust for him deteriorate. What if he was in trouble? Should she go help him anyways. If he trusts her, she would obey him and stay but—

_Yuki-chan... he needs help!_ Shiemi said in her head and gathered her strength and courage to stand up. The one thing Yukio did not realize was that other people can withstand anything too. Even for their friends in danger.

* * *

"Why?!"

On the stairs, bullets were shot at Neuhaus but he deflected them by summoning demon-possessed hands from his tattoos all over his arms. They flew at the bullets and exploded in rotten blood and guts when they collided with bullets. Some filth showered Yukio and his cassock and face were spotted with blood. But he ignored the wretched smell.

"Why are you trying to kill my brother!? Was that Pheles' order too?" Yukio shouted again, but Neuhaus ignored him and rushed through the door to the rooftops. Yukio was annoyed as he followed the culprit through the door.

"Neuhaus!" Yukio shouted again and charged up the stairs to reach for the door. He slammed it open and peaked out, only to find the exorcist running away. "Why?! Answer me!"

Neuhaus' answer was only a low whisper Yukio could not understand—because it was another language. Yukio's eyes widened and he quickly loaded his gun before Neuhaus threw out his arms and an army of hands flew out of his tattoos. Yukio readied himself as the demon-possessed hands flew and ran towards him. Yukio showered the demons with silver bullets and they all exploded in black-red blood as the bullets smashed threw them.

However, Yukio was too distracted when two of the demons snuck out of his sight and grabbed his leg. Yukio screamed and the demons dragged him towards the edge of the building, fully intentioned on throwing him off. Yukio's heart beat so fast a rush of adrenaline coursed through him. The hands held him still, latching on to his hand which held his gun. He reached over his belt with his free hand and pulled out a grenade. He popped the pin off. Before a demon could stop him, the grenade exploded, and droplets of holy water pierced through the hands, burning them and vapourizing them.

By the time he could regain his breath, Yukio saw a large magic circle drawn on the concrete. Neuhaus held his large compass and raised the tip of it off the circle, completing it. "You're quite slow, Okumura."

_Impossible! He drew it so fast!_ Yukio observed anxiously as he pushed up his glasses.

_"Look ye here...wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles refuse to gather together,"_ Neuhaus chanted while he drove his bladed weapon into his arm and dragged it through, unleashing a heavy amount of blood from his flesh. The hot red blood dropped in piles as it fell onto the magic circle.

Yukio cursed under his breath when he felt the ground shake. Yukio held his balance as a large Naberius, larger than what the students faced, emerged out of the circle. The stench of death and rot invaded Yukio's nose and he vomited a little in his mouth. Out of the circle came a monster, or rather, monsters stitched together by large rope-like stitches holding limbs and skin together. The thing had multiple stitched heads and hands, with one of the heads ripped open, revealing its sharp teeth and releasing a monstrous roar.

"This one, my friend, is one of my strongest pets," Neuhaus smiled with a sense of victory. Yukio's mouth dropped at such a powerful demon, he doubted he could take on such a thing.

Yukio tensed his whole body and the demon slammed its fist right into Yukio. Its fist was just as large as Yukio himself. The tremendous force launched Yukio into the wall. He felt his whole body break against the bricks and he fell down, unable to get back up. His energy was spent and destroyed by the demon's powerful punch.

"N-No..." Yukio stuttered, but no matter how much he tried, his body couldn't respond. _I can't...take on such a powerful demon alone..._ Yukio closed his eyes and waited for the final blow.

"I'm disappointed in you, Okumura. I expected a skilled exorcist like yourself could handle a powerful demon, since your brother is one as well," Neuhaus jeered, then turned to his beloved pet.

"Finish him," He ordered.

* * *

Raziel was woken up when he heard gunshots and the sound of a demonic roar. He looked out the window and saw only darkness, but it didn't matter. He could feel the demon's aura from above, along with his.

_So... He has finally decided to show himself..._ Raziel thought to himself, biting his nail. He would have tracked his aura down and slaughtered him on the spot, but that was not his mission. He leaned forward on the chair and he observed Amitiel. She looked restless. She had been sleeping for quite a while while recovering, but now she began to spasm.

"You can sense him now... Amitiel." Raziel spoke in a whisper. It made sense Amitiel could sense his presence now, the sword has been released, along with his power—exposed and uncovered. Unlike Amitiel, Raziel possessed senses that excelled all the archangels. Even though that sword acts a cover for the son of Satan's identity—it could not hide it from him, the Angel of Secrets.

Amitiel screeched and tried to free herself from the bed, but Raziel held her down. At this moment, she was recovering and not in proper condition to fight. Let alone her halo is exposed. He could kill her in an instant if he struck her in the spot again.

Raziel had no choice but to let the Son of Satan live just a few more days longer.

* * *

The demon moved towards the fallen exorcist. Yukio was at the point of passing out. The exorcist smiled gratefully at the outcome. Surely he will achieve his revenge. He glanced at the Naberius, but suddenly Neuhaus saw a sword pierce the demon's head. That sword was on fire. Blue fire.

Neuhaus grit his teeth in utter rage and the demon was engulfed in hot blue flames. The hungry flames devoured the demon whole, burning it without mercy. The demon screamed in pain. Neuhaus looked around himself anxiously and found the culprit flying straight at him with a fist.

"You bastard! I knew you were an enemy!" Rin screamed. His fiery bright blue eyes dilated and he prepared to drive his fist against the traitor's face.

"You damned demon!" Neuhaus shouted as he popped the pin off a holy water grenade. He raised it up at Rin and it exploded just in time to drench the demon in holy water. It took a second for Rin to realize what it was and he smashed onto the floor in pain. He let out demonic howl as his skin burned all over, and some got into his eyes, feeling as if they were set on fire.

Neuhaus threw the empty grenade at Rin and he dodged it blindly. "I'm surprised! Holy water still has an effect on you. That means you cannot hide your true nature under that human skin!"

"Holy water...?" Rin said as he observed his steaming hands, which were burned by the water. Fortunately, the wounds already began to close up, along with the burns on his face. Rin growled, his sharp canines revealed themselves as he grit his teeth together. The flames engulfing Rin and the tip of his tail grew stronger as anger rushed in his blood.

"Y-You bastard..." Rin said through clenched teeth.

"Still...it doesn't seem to do much damage on you... a monster!"

Rin's breath was knocked out of his lungs as the Naberius charged into him and grabbed him with its fat hands. Rin screamed as it squeezed him in its fist, slowly and slowly to crush his bones and organs. Rin screamed desperately and clawed at the demon violently. He left multiple gashes on the demon but they quickly closed up. Rin's flames grew more and more fierce. Rin's growl sounded more demonic and his irises began to distort. His screams sent shivers down Neuhaus' spine. He couldn't believe how monstrous he looked and sounded. How could something so dangerous exist in this fragile world?

In a puff or smoke, the demon disappeared, releasing Rin in the middle of air, along with his sword. Neuhaus gasped and looked over to his magic circle. There, Yukio stood on his knee, his boot was on the circle, leaving a smudged trail behind.

Neuhaus cursed. _The magic circle...he disrupted it!_ The exorcist held his arm out to launch more hands but a long, flaming blade held him back.

Rin stood, with his sword up against the exorcist's neck. The sight of the burning blade up on his neck forced Neuhaus to surrender. The exorcist wheezed as the wounds on his arms continued to bleed, coating his skin in his own blood. He realized he had no more strength, and too much of his blood was lost as he felt dizzy and cold. He slowly lapsed into anemia.

"Just what the hell are you...?" Rin gazed sharply at the man. His demonic blue eyes with its red pupils threatened him to speak.

"Neuhaus, for your own health, stop this madness! You'll die from blood loss!" Yukio shouted.

Neuhaus coughed and breathed in. Rin's eyes watched a smile escape from the exorcist's lips. "I am..." Neuhaus spoke, "... a survivor of the _Blue night_." He shot a menacing glance at Rin. What he said provoked flashbacks of Rin's memories, straight to that moment he first heard that name "Blue Night".

Rin gasped when he remembered. It was that story Konekomaru and Shima told him about Satan murdering those clergymen. _He was one of them?_ Rin thought. Suddenly Rin felt the urge to lower his sword out of mercy, but he resisted it.

"Satan possessed me for mere seconds..." Neuhaus spoke lowly as he removed his eye patch, "I lost this eye unfortunately... and my family, who tried to save me..."

Painful, vivid memories of his wife's death flooded Neuhaus' mind. "The Devil used these hands... and murdered her..." Neuhaus grit his teeth. He could still see her voluminous blond hair and her innocent, pale face. But in these memories, her soft, beautiful smile and her lively angelic eyes were full of distress and pain. He could still hear her screams as she burned alive, and there was nothing he could do to stop it—to stop him.

Neuhaus let out a shuddering breath as his emotions took over. "I will never forgive him... I will never forgive Satan or any demon—especially his damn son!" Neuhaus screamed furiously.

Rin stood silent, he felt a sense of guilt invade his consciousness.

"I'll kill you...even if I must die myself!" Neuhaus screamed and launched the final blow. He summoned an arm out of his tattoo on his arm and it struck Rin in the abdomen with a loud 'thud'.

Neuhaus and Rin were silent, although the exorcist was silenced by surprise. He watched in confusion and shock as Rin spit blood on the ground and coughed shakily. Rin moved his sword away from Neuhaus' throat and looked at him. Trails of blood stained his mouth and chin. His bangs shadowed one of his eyes, the other revealing not only his slit red pupils—but also _mercy_.

"There. You feel better now?" Rin smirked through the pain.

"Nii-san...!" Yukio gasped.

"If you don't, I won't blame you. I know how it feels to lose someone," Rin said softly as he lowered his head, as in an act of respect. Neuhaus grit his teeth and the Naberius' arm pulled out of Rin's abdomen, releasing a large quantity of Rin's blood on the floor. The demon returned into Neuhaus' tattoo.

"I'm used to people having some vendetta on me, believe me, I do. But let me warn you..." Rin said as he sheathed his sword back into its sheath. The flames on his head diminished and Rin's ears shortened back into regular size. The flames on his tail also were put out. With a shallow breath, Rin raised his head up and shouted, "Don't you dare drag innocent people into this, you understand?!"

Neuhaus was flabbergasted to the point he was unable to speak for a moment. He had never expected this moment to happen, especially from the son of Satan. He had replayed all the possible outcomes of meeting the son of Satan, and all the plans he made to ensure everything went as he wanted it to be. But mercy was not on the list.

Neuhaus clutched his bleeding arm and responded, "you...you really think this is it? Others will be after you, far worse than me—so be prepared!"

Neuhaus pushed past Yukio and made his way back to the door. Yukio looked back for a moment, but then turned his attention to his brother.

* * *

_Those shots stopped a while ago..._ Shiemi thought. She also noticed after the gunshots receded there were also loud roars. _What was happening up there?_

"Neuhaus-sensei!" Shiemi cried out. Neuhaus stood at the top of the staircase, a soft blue halo from impending light of the sunrise radiated from the perimeter of his body behind a window. Shiemi studied the instructor and found his arms covered in blood. He also looked pale and clammy.

"N-Neuhaus-sensei... I-I should help you treat that..." Shiemi stuttered as she approached the silent teacher.

"No," Neuhaus said, almost barked. "Just..." He sighed in exhaustion, "... just leave me alone."

Shiemi remained quiet and the teacher walked down past her. She didn't protest, after all, she didn't want to know how he got his injuries. Shiemi gasped and forgot about Yukio. She rushed up to meet up with him. Hopefully he was okay and alive.

"Nii-san, what were you thinking?!" Yukio shouted in worry.

Rin scratched his head with a goofy smile, "well bro, I wasn't thinking at all..."

"Of course you didn't, you never showed signs of it in class. Now look what you did to yourself..." Yukio rubbed his forehead and looked at Rin's shirt, which was bloodied. This will take a while for Yukio to treat his brother for the thousandth time, and also to remove the awful blood stains on that shirt and pants.

"Hey, I'm fine. It's already healing," Rin smiled and lifted his shirt up, revealing the holes in his skin the demonic hand did to him. There was blood but no more was leaking out, instead, it steamed as the wound slowly closed back up.

"Amazing... It's already closing!" Yukio was astonished as he scanned the wound vigorously.

"Well, I always did heal fast... So I guess that proves I really am a monster..." Rin said to himself.

Yukio looked at Rin sadly. He was surprised his own brother admitted of being... Not human.

"Rin! Yuki-chan!" Shiemi cried. She gasped at the sight of Rin and the blood on his lips and shirt. Rin gulped and quickly grabbed his tail and tucked it back in his pants.

"What happened to you, Rin?!"

"Nothing, just got a little beat up! I'm okay, though!" Rin smiled as if everything was normal.

Shiemi ignored him and realized something. "That's a Naberius' Temptaint! I have to treat it!"

Rin waved his hand, gesturing her to stop. "No, really I'm—"

"Lie down now!" Shiemi commanded, which shut Rin up.

"Wait, what?"

"Nee-chan, get me Sancho-san!" Shiemi said and her familiar created aloe from its body.

Shiemi ripped the leaves off and applied them to Rin's side. It felt surprisingly cool and relaxing to Rin. He thought it would sting for sure. "Uh... thanks." Rin smiled sheepishly with his eyes closed. He opened them to see Shiemi tearing up.

"Rin... I've decided!" Shiemi announced.

"What?"

"I've finally decided!" Shiemi repeated through tears.

"Decided what?!"

_Nii-san... could always do what I couldn't._

Yukio realized it. After 15 years, he found the answer. No matter what he can do, he could never outmatch his brother. He was just that extraordinary and adventurous, after all. He doesn't fear anything, and that's something Yukio lacked.

"I just can't beat him..." Yukio smiled and rubbed his forehead.

* * *

"Good afternoon, Pages!" Mephisto smiled and clapped his hands together as he scanned the students' faces. Every one of them only showed pure anxiousness. They knew exactly why they were summoned by Mephisto to gather around in the classroom. It was about the results of their evaluation from the exam.

However, Mephisto seemed awfully cheery at this moment, and it scared the students even more. Suguro kept scratching his head while also pursing his lips and looking around himself. He tried to distract himself from the exhilarating wait. Shima only giggled nervously, thinking that it was obvious he had failed. Konekomaru only said a silent prayer in his head, while also maintaining a calm, collected attitude. Izumo crossed her arms and looked away from Mephisto. She couldn't look him straight in the eye knowing she had failed. Finally, Shiemi was so anxious her shaking was noticeable. She was trying to stop her teeth from clattering together from shaking.

Rin could only think for the best.

"Hmm, how should I say this..." Mephisto questioned himself as he stroked his goatee.

The students were scared to death when Mephisto suddenly shouted and pulled out a banner, sprinkling colourful confetti all over the place (one hit Yukio in the face; he wasn't pleased). The students stood shocked as the confetti landed on their heads.

"Congratulations!" Mephisto exclaimed as the room was showered by rainbows of confetti and glitter. "You have all been promoted to _Exwires_!"

Everything was quiet as the confetti slowly fell down, until the students all cheered in relief. All that tension was swallowed up by happiness. The boys all placed their arms around each other, except for Konekomaru, who only got his head caught in between Ryuji's arm.

Izumo breathed a sigh of relief. She made it. But... they have been so forgiving.

However, Izumo couldn't find the strength to smile, perhaps because she believed she didn't deserve this at all.

_But... why? I'm not fit to even cooperate with others._ Izumo frowned.

Then she finally realized it. They wanted to pass her, because they had given her a chance.

"Kamiki-san! We did it!" Shiemi squealed in glee. Izumo looked at Shiemi with a slightly confused gaze, then replied with a raised chin and her eyes closed. "Hmph, I knew I would pass."

"Of course, you deserve it!" Shiemi smiled proudly.

_Huh?_ Izumo looked confused, almost shocked._ Just... what is up with her?_ Izumo thought as she gazed at Shiemi, her happiness was almost contagious.

_I guess nothing can tear her down, huh..._ Izumo thought with a sigh, surprised by how much of a strong will the blonde possessed, even though her personality was fragile as glass.

"Now, since I am the _wealthiest_ man and the fair head of this dear school, I will treat you all..." The students all waited in tension, hoping some big feast was going to be announced. "—to _Monjayaki_!"

The students pouted in disappointment.

"What the hell!?"

"Are ya serious? Come on! I worked my ass off _and_ risked my life!"

"At least treat us with _Yakiniku_!"

* * *

The students, led by Mephisto Pheles, went to a small, but popular snack store on campus named Pon-chan. There, loads of stands filled with lollipops, _pocky_, chocolate, ice cream, and also a long fryer perfect for the students for making _monjayaki _were available. Rows of freshly made smoothies were stood ready to be sipped prior to the Exwires arrival. The day was hot but relaxing, the sun shone so bright everyone tried to remain in the shade. After that exam, it was no wonder the new Exwires deserved a small vacation. Everyone was in shorts and tank tops, except for Yukio, he seemed to be resilient to the heat and wore his school shirt and its thick black pants.

Shiemi bought a box of strawberry-flavoured _pocky_ and shared it with the group. Rin was the one who ate most of it.

"So you made up your mind?" Rin asked Shiemi beside him.

"Yes! I'm aiming at becoming an exorcist too!" Shiemi smiled in glee. "Since I was told that I had good taming qualities I thought I could be of help to everyone!"

"Well, can you fight?" Rin's smile turned to a frown.

"I-I'll try!" Shiemi looked at him with puffed cheeks and a soft pink coloured her cheeks, then an idea popped in her head. "Perhaps I'll ask Tanaka-san to help me!" Shiemi beamed. "She fought well and passed too, y'know!"

"Oh!" Rin formed an 'o' with his lips. He never forgot about her and her recovery session she's having. He was just trying to avoid the thought of her and her wounds she received in his place from Neuhaus' Naberius. What upset Rin even more was that those demons were indeed after Rin now that he had proof from Neuhaus' actions. The truth that Paku and Amitiel were injured in his place made his heart ache with guilt.

"Right..." Rin said and bowed his head. He was a little disappointed she hadn't recovered in time to join them. It felt...empty without her around—almost as if she completed the whole gang.

Shiemi saw his jolly aura shift into a gloomy one. He held his spatula but there was no _monjayaki_ on the fryer. Shiemi also looked down with him, then looked back up at his face and declared, "she will be okay, Rin."

Rin looked back at Shiemi. Her emerald green eyes shone with determination and confidence. "Believe me, she will be okay because of you! You saved her right? If you hadn't defeated that Naberius after she was injured, you and Tanaka-san would have been hurt even more!"

Rin remained silent, then suddenly he smiled. "Thank you, Shiemi!"

Rin took his bowl of whipped up _monjayaki_ batter and poured it on the fryer. It sizzled quietly.

_Shiemi's right._ Rin thought. _Maybe... I did save her._

Rin looked at everyone as they made their pancakes. Ryuji yelled when his burnt and Shima rolled back laughing. Rin, on his part, was submerged in his thoughts while observing his food cook. Maybe she would be dead if he hadn't killed that Naberius. Amitiel wouldn't handle fighting a Naberius twice, perhaps it was thanks to Rin Hana's still alive.

_I'll go see her and thank her... because she was the one who saved me._

* * *

**A/N: /Inserts crappy filler-ish chapter after one month/**

**Goddammit. Why must I always postpone my chaps? (well at least this is early even though it was delayed?) I know it bugs people, it bugs me too, but I'm just so slow lately. When I started this fic, I had 5 chapters in queue, so I stuck to my schedule but now...idk why. Maybe I should go on hiatus sometime so I can finish more than one chapter because one month is wayyyyyy too long.**

**Sorry for the wait readers, but I hope this chapter will satisfy you! /dodges stones/. I suck at describing mental/psychological thoughts and with that I am really sorry. orz**

**Anyways, I'm open to proper critiques too!**


	16. Chapter 15: The Scrutiny

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 15: The Scrutiny**_

* * *

**"She's awake?"**

"Yes, just about an hour ago, during your "feast" with the students," Yukio said and tapped on the watch on his wrist. "It's perfectly safe to see her."

"She wasn't that dangerous!" Rin protested.

"Nii-san," Yukio said sharply. The look on his face reminded Rin of something. He touched the area Amitiel scratched, but it was healed a long time ago. Rin just hoped she forgot about that, or was unaware during her outburst. He wouldn't accept it if she felt slightly guilty for that, it would make Rin feel guiltier.

"Well then..." Rin breathed out and grasped the knob to Amitiel's dorm. "Prepare my funeral, 'cause I ain't coming back alive after this."

"Why?"

"Because I brought food." Rin said, holding a plate of _Monjayak_i he made for her since she was absent from the small ceremony. "And to be honest, I kinda overcooked it..."

"Well I'm glad. I was waiting for this moment to happen. Go to the light and never come back," Yukio jeered with a grin. "I'll thank Tanaka-san for your death."

"Yah, love ya too, bro," Rin frowned. "Next time, let me set you on fire, capisce?"

Yukio face-palmed and sighed, "Nii-san, sometimes I wonder if we really are twins..."

"Ha ha," Rin laughed sarcastically. He turned the knob and entered slowly. By the time Rin entered, Yukio wore his serious look on his face again and made his way to the kitchen downstairs, with a rosary in hand.

"Look who's here!" Rin cheered and raised the plate up at Hana. Rin shut up when he saw she was sleeping still. "Hey, that damn Four-Eyes lied to me."

Rin approached Amitiel and set the plate down beside her. Rin looked at her one last time before he would leave. She looked as if she was sleeping peacefully. Her blond hair laid plastered over the white pillow and overall, Amitiel's complexion improved. Rin wondered why he felt worried about her skin. For some reason he had this feeling something was wrong with her appearance during her illness, but it felt like the puzzle for that memory was missing. Rin ignored it and was about to turn around when he heard a soft moan.

"Rin."

Rin's eyes widened and he sat beside Amitiel. She opened her eyes and Rin backed away for a second. The whites of her eyes had dark red vessels flowing through the surface, almost making her eyes look red. It appeared as if her eyes got hit by a branch and they were bleeding.

"Y-you're eyes!" Rin said and pointed at them.

"Huh?" Amitiel said. "What's wrong with them?"

"They're all messed up!" Rin said.

Amitiel looked across her room and observed her own reflection on the mirror. She saw Rin's worried face in the silver glass. "Ah, it's because of—" Amitiel cut herself off and looked away from the mirror and Rin. "Never mind."

"Huh?"

Amitiel found her nose sniffing the air. There was something pleasantly delicious nearby, and Amitiel looked at Rin for the answer. Rin recognized her question in her curious eyes and grabbed the plate on the bedside table and passed it to her.

"Um, I made you some get-well-soon _Monjayaki_... and as a reward for passing the exam!" Rin exclaimed with a wide smile.

"I see," Amitiel said and accepted his offering. She inspected it for a second, "it looks... burnt," Amitiel spoke bluntly. "Is it supposed to look like that?"

"Please don't kill me! I-I kinda messed up which I rarely do..." Rin covered his head to protect himself from Amitiel's impending assault. His hands were sweaty and shaking. He knew he would never mess up his cooking, but he wondered why of all occasions he had to mess up her recovery meal. He felt he hadn't tried hard enough and was afraid of this girl spitting at him a blunt, cold assault on his cooking as the result.

"What are you doing?"

Rin looked at her with his hands on his head. He looked as if he were curling up in a ball to protect himself. He blushed intensely, since it was clear he looked like an idiot in front of her. "Uh...I thought you'd beat me up."

"For overdoing this?" Amitiel looked at the food. "You can't judge it by its appearance if you've never tried it, Rin." Amitiel cut out a piece with her fork and knife and popped it into her mouth. Rin waited anxiously while rubbing his thumbs together. It seemed Rin could relate Amitiel's response to what his identity could provoke if revealed. Would he be judged by others without even trying to understand him?

After Amitiel swallowed, she spoke, "This is still the best one I've tasted so far. That is the truth."

"Really?!" Rin exclaimed happily. He felt so warm and excited he felt his tail uncurl from its wagging for a second until her kept himself relaxed. It would have been awkward if his tail spilled out from under his shirt.

"Yes..." Amitiel said, but groaned. Rin watched in worry when Amitiel covered her mouth. She felt a little nauseous afterwards. She rested back on her pillow, while still holding on to the plate in order to relax Rin. Before Rin could ask, she said, "I'm fine."

"But you—"

"I'm fine, really. I would never lie. What you saw it's—"

"It's normal," Rin finished her sentence. "Remember that a demon did that to you, so whatever I saw, it was because of the demon."

"I remembered it," Amitiel whispered as she played with the food on the plate with her fork.

"Remembered what?" Rin asked.

Amitiel looked at him with her bloodshot eyes. She reached over and touched his cheek, exactly where she cut him. "I... hurt you."

"Huh? This? It was just a tiny accident," Rin smiled, attempting to shake it off. His heart was beating hard and he could feel it.

"I... am so sorry," Amitiel bowed her head down. Rin felt his chest sink down, as if pressure was being applied on it and was weighing heavier.

"Nah, don't worry. I'm fine, really," Rin scratched his head and he continued to maintain his fake smile. "This is nothing. In fact, I should be thanking you."

That held Amitiel's head back up. "For what?"

"F-For saving me..." Rin stuttered. His heart was racing now. "I-I realize all you did to protect me, and it paid off... e-even if you had to pay the price..." Rin said then blushed, "T-Thank you."

Rin bowed his head down at Amitiel, her only response was simple. "Do not thank me, Rin."

Rin raised his head up and stared in confusion.

"I don't need thanks. This is my job to protect you and the others—it's what I was born to do. Whatever you need me for, Rin, I will gladly serve you."

Rin remained silent. She was so selfless, he didn't expect one to exist with such a selfless conscious. Despite her bluntness, Amitiel was the most trustworthy person he had ever met, and Rin was thankful for meeting this person named Hana Tanaka.

* * *

Yukio made his way back to Amitiel's room only to find Rin stepping out. He seemed relaxed.

"How is she?" Yukio asked.

"She's great," Rin smiled. "Maybe she can come back to cram school tomorrow!"

Rin felt eager for her to return to class with him.

"That's good," Yukio said. "If you excuse me, I'm just going to do a quick check up on her, just to confirm she has healed and is able to go to cram school again." Yukio held his medical kit, which had a stethoscope and first aid.

"And what's that?" Rin pointed at the cup in Yukio's hand. There was water in it.

"Do you not know what water looks like?" Yukio asked, mocking him implicitly.

"Shut up, Four-Eyes," Rin growled. "I just asked why!"

"Tanaka-san needs to be well replenished before she can come back to school," Yukio looked at the cup. "In fact, you should be there too."

"Alright, I'm going!" Rin raised his hands up in surrender. He was hoping Yukio forgot Rin still had regular school, but his brother was way too smart to forget.

Rin waved off and walked back downstairs so he could make his journey back to school. Unfortunately.

Yukio gently strolled in Hana's room and looked at her with a warm, welcoming smile. "Good day, Tanaka-san."

"Good day, Okumura-sensei," Amitiel said, without a smile.

"I'm just here to change your IV and do a check-up on you, if that's okay," Yukio grinned and set his medical kit down on the bedside table.

"As long as it helps me," Amitiel spoke while avoiding his welcoming turquoise gaze. "I must be on my feet as soon as possible." Amitiel furrowed her eyebrows, recollecting all the time wasted in searching the Son of Satan—all because of her recklessness.

"You'll have plenty of time. Summer break is almost here. It's always healthy to recover at your own pace." Yukio eyed Amitiel while he changed her IV drip. Her behaviour was normal now. She wasn't... inhuman like before, although he still doubted she was human.

"That must have been quite rough," Yukio suddenly changed the topic.

"... It was difficult, but I pressed on. It was because of the demon, Okumura-sensei." Amitiel dared to look at him. She was surprised to no longer see his cheerful, welcoming face, but his serious... suspicious one.

"I know that, but what matters is that you are okay."

Amitiel looked away and observed the floating dust in the air, illuminated by the sunlight coming in the window. "...Right."

"Here, I brought you some water to replenish yourself. I'll stop by once in a while to bring you more." Yukio passed the glass full of water to the new Exwire.

"Thank you."

Yukio's eyes wavered between the glass and Amitiel. He watched vigilantly as she approached the rim of the glass close to her lips. Yukio moved his hand down and it hovered over his loaded gun.

Yukio's eyes dilated and his arm tensed when the water came into contact with Amitiel's lips and entered her mouth. Yukio sat still and silent, waiting for the signal to take place for him to attack.

It didn't come.

Yukio moved his hand away from his pistol when Amitiel finished the glass of water and set it down on the bedside table. "Thank you, Okumura-sensei. I needed that."

_What? No reaction?_

"... Okumura-sensei?" Amitiel called when she noticed Yukio stared at her in a trance.

Yukio gasped quietly and blinked. "Ah, s-sorry. I spaced out."

"Perhaps you should get some rest too, Okumura-sensei," Amitiel suggested, and Yukio quickly agreed and stood up from the chair, almost pushing it back.

"I must leave. I hope you recover by tomorrow," Yukio said and looked away from her with a darkened look in his eyes.

"Thank you," Amitiel said and attempted to finish Rin's _Monjayaki_ plate despite it being cold.

Yukio left the room and shut the door behind him. He rested himself on the door and placed his hand on his forehead, frustrated.

_What is she?_

The metal rosary attached to his belt made a small, acute jingle as he left in a hurry.

* * *

_"My apologies about Neuhaus' carelessness," Mephisto said as he used his fan in his hand and fanned himself. It didn't cool him down other than blow hot air in his face. He was sitting down on a long wooden bench, wearing nothing but a _Yukata_ decorated with pale patterns of stars in various hues of blue. Yukio stood beside him without a word spoken._

_"I didn't realize his past would be of issue. I was confident he had no intention of causing any harm. I will not let this occur again," Mephisto added despite wearing a thin, toothy smile upon his face._

_Yukio looked down at him in discontent. The smile on his face proved he wasn't sincere. Mephisto was never sincere, almost as if he was unworried about Rin's possible conflict with the exorcist, despite swearing upon Fujimoto's body to protect him and his brother as their guardian._

_"I really hope it doesn't," Yukio spoke lowly._

_"Hey bro! Ya want a _ramune_?" Rin called from within the small shop. Yukio could hear the sound of _Monjayaki_ sizzling._

_"I'll come get one," Yukio said then walked back into the shop. Unaware Mephisto smiled, pulled out his cell-phone, and dialled a number._

_Was this Mephisto's doing? _Yukio thought as he recollected his conversation with the purple-haired demon._ I have a feeling he is connected to Neuhaus' actions somehow. Not the ones he was officially ordered to do—but to actually harm by brother?_ Yukio spoke to himself, speculating the situation and trying to assemble the puzzle by himself. It was much harder to him when he doesn't know the whole truth—and it frustrated him so much he was becoming stressed. He didn't need any more pressure on his back when he has already reached his limit since his father's death and Rin's awakening.

_Dammit... now_ this.

Hana. Whatever she could be sent shivers all over his nerves. Knowing she was a demon would be reassuring, much more than not knowing what the hell she was. How could something resist holy water? If she were human, she would not have lapsed into that... alienating illness. A victim of a Naberius' _Mashou_ was simply necrosis in the areas of the body in contact with the demon's miasma, described by the absence of skin and bubbling, black blisters, followed by a rapid exponential increase in decay of the tissues infected. Eventually leading to death of the victim as the necrosis spread.

Hana didn't exhibit signs of these at all.

_What the hell is going on around me?_ Yukio squeezed his eyes shut as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He removed his glasses and rested his elbows on the desk and rubbed his forehead with his fingers. Mephisto was enough trouble, but Hana too?

"Okumura-sensei," A sharp voice called.

"Kamiki-san, my apologies," Yukio looked at her in exhaustion. He scanned the classroom before Izumo placed an essay on his desk. "The culminating activity on the history of exorcism is due today. You forgot to announce that."

Yukio stared at the essay in confusion, then pushed his glasses on his nose and grabbed it. "Ah, thank you, Kamiki-san."

"Here's also mine," Suguro passed it to the young instructor.

"As expected from Suguro-kun," Yukio smiled.

The other students handed in their projects, and then a miracle happened.

"Um... here," Rin dropped his essay on the pile of other essays. Yukio swore his eyes were going to pop out of their sockets and crash through his lenses.

"I-Is that... work?!" Ryuji pointed at him with a shaky finger. "I-Impossible...!"

"Is Okumura-kun possessed or something?" Shima added in a whisper from behind his friend.

Yukio stared at the paper in front of him with his heart palpitating to the point it hurt.

"N-Nii-san..." Yukio whispered in a shaky way. "You..."

"I think I deserve at least a D instead of F! I worked so hard on that my brain cells quit on me and killed themselves from work overload," Rin said seriously. "And also because Hana helped me through it." Rin blushed and scratched the back of his head while wearing a cheeky grin on his mug.

"Okumura-kun has brain cells?!" Renzo snorted loudly and covered his mouth, preventing himself from laughing too hard.

"Heh... I swear it's like the Apocalypse." Rin giggled lowly, his dark blue bangs covered his eyes.

Rin felt something wrap around him. He swiped his bangs to the left and found his own brother hugging him. Rin stood speechless.

"Uh... what...?" Rin croaked and returned the hug in confusion.

The Kyoto trio exchanged confused glances, then shrugged their shoulders and joined in.

"Hey! What's going on?!" Rin yelled when Shiemi also joined in and hugged Rin.

"We're proud of you, Rin!" Shiemi smiled gleefully.

Everyone gathered around Rin, hugging him and patting his head and messing up his already messed up navy blue hair. "Hey! I'm serious, I'm so petrified right now!"

"Get over here, Kamiki. You're one of us too. It's okay to hate us!" Ryuji called at Izumo, who only stood at her desk and crossed her arms with a frustrated look in her crimson red eyes.

Izumo felt compelled to join in when everyone stared at her. Izumo pouted then reluctantly approached the group and joined in.

"To Rin," Ryuji raised his chin up. "For all his_ incredibly hard_ work in advancing our current understand of exorcism and demons. Without his _brain_ we'd be dead. His _amazing_ work ethics and _participation_ paid off and he _barely_ passed the Exwire Certification Exam—although he did kick some horny demon ass," Ryuji announced and he raised his fist in the air.

"To Rin."

Everyone shouted in unison, "_to Rin_!"

* * *

Yukio walked out of Amitiel's room after he gave her a new glass of water and took the old one. Everything about her health was back to normal, except the part she was unaffected by holy water baffled him to the point it scared him. His only thought racing through his head is to warn Rin, but how can he explain this to him? Rin wasn't the keenest when it comes to keeping his guard up around anything, and it bothered Yukio that his brother was still so cool and relaxed despite the danger he was in. Ever since his awakening, Rin did not even consider all the possible enemies he may encounter, and not just Neuhaus. Yukio still remembered his father, and those words he said to him before he made his decision to become an exorcist.

_"Yukio, will you protect Rin?" Shiro Fujimoto spoke and he placed his hand on a young Yukio's head._

_"Protect...Nii-san?" Yukio squeaked and tears rolled down his cheeks from crying._

_"Yes, they will be after him, Yukio. And no one can keep him safe more than his own brother. You must protect him at all costs from them, do you understand?"_

Yukio exhaled and walked back to his own dorm a few floors up. When he reached the stairs he ran across Rin, who had just reached his floor. He also had a juice box in his hand and the straw was in Rin's mouth.

"Hey bro!" Rin called after he took a slurp.

"Oh, Rin," Yukio said and his brother approached him.

"I'm just gonna go see Hana," Rin said then pointed at the hall towards Hana's dorm. "I wanna thank her for saving my grades!"

Yukio remained silent. He could never stop his brother from doing anything, never. Yukio had a feeling Rin won't understand what he would say. Perhaps Rin would have to find out for himself this time.

Yukio pushed by his brother and marched hastily past him. Rin was pushed back by his brother and his eyes went wide.

"Whoa, what was that all about?" Rin asked, taken aback.

Yukio made a sharp halt in front of the stairs, and without turning back he said, "Don't go near her any more."

"What?" Rin almost shouted and almost crushed the juice box in his hand.

Yukio's lenses had bright glares in them. "She's dangerous, Rin."

"Whaddaya mean?" Rin made a face at him.

"Just trust me, Nii-san," Yukio responded sharply. "She...what she went through, that was NOT a demonic infliction."

"What are you saying?" Rin asked, his heart was thumping now.

"I'm saying that... maybe Hana is hiding something from us. The abnormal healing, her ghastly transformation..." Yukio looked at the empty cup in his hand. " Her resistance to holy water..."

"Huh? Was there holy water in there?" Rin's eyes widened even more at the cup in Yukio's hand.

"Yes," Yukio said in a low tone. "Nii-san... do those traits seem... _familiar_ to you?"

"But... but that doesn't mean she's a demon, right?" Rin asked tentatively. "I mean, if holy water doesn't affect her than she's not one! She hasn't done anything to me but helped me! If she were one, why did she try to protect me this whole time?"

Yukio couldn't believe what Rin was doing. Actually, Yukio began to expect that. Denial. That was what Rin is doing right now.

"What if she's something else?" Yukio said, which triggered a small gasp from Rin. He turned around to face Rin in his eyes, "...something worse?"

Rin found his juice box crushed in his hand, which was now a ball of fist. Rin looked down, his bangs shadowed his sharp blue eyes and his muscles tensed. There was a part of him who wanted to deny it. Everything. But at the same time, Rin trusted his brother. He also knew he can overprotective sometimes. Rin knows Hana. She may be... different, but she was human with a very open-mind.

"How can you say that without any concrete proof...?" Rin looked at his brother angrily. "Don't just... assume things like that!"

"Nii-san!" Yukio shouted. "There is always a possibility!"

"Until you actually have proof, I won't believe you," Rin growled. "Now leave me alone. I don't need you to protect me from everything!"

Rin was the one who pushed by Yukio this time. His demonic strength pushed Yukio off course and he almost tripped over. "Nii-san!"

Rin ignored him and entered Hana's room. Yukio smacked his palm on his forehead and growled in frustration. He barged down the stairs and made his way to his office in the cram school.

Rin closed the door behind him, a little too hard at that.

"Rin?" Amitiel said. She moved the covers away from her and sat up, her legs dangled on the edge of the bed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Rin almost spat.

"You're lying," Amitiel said bluntly.

Rin sighed. She really did see through him as if he were a window. "It's... family stuff."

"Oh, well that's none of my business," Amitiel rested her hands on her laps and looked around herself.

_It is._ Rin wanted to say, it was because of her that Rin and Yukio fought just now. Rin moved himself and sat down on the chair at her desk, beside her bed.

They didn't speak for moment, mainly because they had nothing to talk about. Rin and Amitiel weren't that skilled in making conversation. Amitiel seemed to enjoy the silence, but Rin thought it was awkward.

"Oh," Rin started. "So... I finished the big project essay crap you helped me with."

Amitiel looked at him, as if expected more.

"I, uh..." Rin blushed and looked away. "I-I just want to say thanks... again." Rin puffed out his cheeks.

"And you do not need to thank me... again," Amitiel said. "You did it by yourself, Rin. I just nudged you to continue out of determination."

"Huh?" Rin gasped. "Are you saying I did all that by myself?"

"Yes, Rin," Amitiel responded. "That's what you did. You persevered because you wanted to become an exorcist, that's what happens when you have a goal."

"So... I really _did do_ homework..." Rin spoke to himself.

He looked at her and suddenly his conversation with Yukio replayed in his mind. To be honest, he was curious to know if Hana really is a demon. She hasn't harmed him in any way, so she wouldn't kill him. Right?

"Hana... are you—"

Rin stopped when the door opened, and Raziel walked in. "Oh, h-hi." Rin blushed intensely at the current situation. He switched his gaze between the angels and realized what kind of appearance he was making.

"Good evening to you too, Okumura," Raziel said without a welcoming smile.

"I-I swear I didn't do ANYTHING to her." Rin raised his hands up in surrender.

Amitiel looked at him in confusion. Why is he blushing so much?

"No I know you did not," Raziel leaned against the wall beside Amitiel's bed. "You would not do anything harmful to your friend, right?"

"N-no, sir."

"You two seem to get along very well." Raziel remarked with a raise of his eyebrow. "You are quite fond of Hana, are you not?

"Huh?!" Rin choked. "I-I don't like her! I-I mean I do but not l-like that! I-I-I mean, s-she's one of my friends—Sir!" Rin gulped and blushed intensely. He swore he looked like an idiot.

"Calm yourself," Raziel waved him off, as if to disregard his embarrassing behaviour. "I know you are a very good person, Okumura. You would not be that evil to hurt anyone, am I correct?"

"N-no, sir." Rin choked a little. His heart was beating hard.

"Good," Raziel said then moved towards the door. "I came to check up on my daughter, but I see she is already well taken care of."

Rin swallowed and nodded quickly. He bowed down at Raziel and the archangel left the room.

Despite Amitiel wore a calm relaxed look, something shocked her worse than Raziel's false accusation about them.

Rin _lied_.

* * *

Mephisto picked up his phone, which had colourful dangling figurines attached to it from various anime shows. He dialled a number. Its glossy pink surface shone bright as he held it up against his pointed, elf-like ear. It rang until someone on the other line picked up.

"Hello?" The voice called, he sounded childish for an adult.

"It's me," Mephisto grinned as he continued, "Neuhaus did just as I commanded him, but the burden interfered with his orders. Come over to True Cross Academy immediately."

The line stayed dead for a moment, it crackled from static. Wherever the other person was, it was sure he was far away. "...I can't enter because of your wards, older brother."

"I'll have Neuhaus guide you through them, I'll spare you the details for later. Now come, I have a game for you to play," Mephisto said and he fanned himself. "... Amaimon."

"Yes, older brother," the speaker responded obediently.

The line went dead after Mephisto began shouting in the background. The speaker held the phone against his ear and then looked at the screen. He cancelled the call and sigh.

"A game, huh?" Amaimon looked bored. "Older brother and Father both seem intrigued by this brother named Rin Okumura. Oh well... hopefully he'll be entertaining enough to kill my boredom."

Amaimon stood high on the corpse of a large boar. It was completely covered in its own blood, which was also dripping off Amaimon's knuckles.

* * *

**A/N: ...**

**Me: hoe don't do it.**

**Hands: (start typing)**

**Me: Oh my god.**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**... I don't know what just happened. After that writer's block my brain felt like it was on acid and I typed like fuck without stopping. *lol I need a hiatus* ya no let's just submit another chapter **_**3 days after I submitted one.**_

**I'm still trying to comprehend **_**what the fuck**_** just happened excuse me**

**...**

**Oh, and reviews, I'm still looking forward to them lol**


	17. Chapter 16: Demon's Lament

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 16: Demon's Lament**_

* * *

**The weather has been forecast to be clear skies and hot temperatures for the very first days of spring**. Although most of the population is gone at the beach, cooling off in the deep blue oceans and sunbathing on the hot, soft sand—most of the employees at True Cross Academy were busy shipping in supplies. At the academy entrance, which was a large ivory arch standing almost 3 storeys high, a transport truck stopped at the entrance. After verification by an academy security officer, the driver waved and the red and white striped bar across the entrance raised up and allowed the truck to pass through.

A security officer took off his cap and wiped the sweat of his forehead. He ran his young fingers across his light brown, short hair and breathed out a hot sigh. "Hey, kuro!" He said and he smiled at a black cat beside him, who stood immobile on a small pillar of the border of the bridge to the city. The cat remained silent, his eyes remained wide and he looked petrified.

The young officer entered the small office beside the entrance and said, "your next to survive in this heat!"

The other officer, who was sitting in the chair surrounded by screen monitors of cameras, stood up and stretched himself. He looked like a plump man with a moustache compared to the other, who was tall, thin, and young.

"Alright, it's all yours!" The officer said and allowed the latter to take his spot.

"So what's up with Kuro? He's been acting like this for a while now," one of the officers said and peeked out the window from the office to the cat. "He wouldn't even touch his food when I fed him."

"Ah, he's a smart cat, so news may have reached him by now," one of them said as he held the door open, accidentally letting the air-conditioned air in the office escape, but also his words.

"So what happens to a Familiar when its master has passed away?" The young officer said as he took a glance of the cat over his shoulder.

"Be quiet about that!" The old officer exclaimed. "What if it hears you?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure he's aware of it now," the light-brown haired officer said as he removed his cap and sat on the chair.

Outside in the blazing heat, the cat stood still as stone, except his ear twitched violently. He slowly turned his head over to the officers.

A murderous, wide-eyed glare crossed his face.

* * *

A new semester began since the Exwire Certification Exam and already Rin had piles of homework shoved down his throat as a new Exwire. Rin was proud he had passed, but that didn't seem to motivate him to work harder in his studies. Instead of actually putting in the energy to do some homework, Rin made the excuse to go fetch himself a cold treat on this hot, arid day. He also would rather play some sports with the others instead of being trapped inside doing homework.

"Oh my god," Rin moaned slowly.

Rin's layered bangs were pinned back by the clip Ryuji gave him. This was the only day Rin wore it outside of class or tried to study. Rin's forehead was shiny with sweat and he could feel the sweat on his back and chest stick his t-shirt against his skin. It didn't feel comfortable and Rin tried to prevent his armpits from folding over due to the sweat on them and his shirt. He spoke to himself about taking his shirt off but not in a public place. Besides, the UV index sky-rocketed and his skin could burn in a matter of minutes if exposed. Rin was also dumb outside the school environment. Of course, he decided, of all things, to wear a dark blue pair of knee-high trousers which were literally burning up due to the sun's rays absorbing into the colour. Rin swore he could cook an egg on them.

"_Oh my god_," Rin repeated, more exasperated. "It's so damn hot out I'm gonna _burn_."

Rin stopped when he realized the irony of what he just said. He shook his head and continued to make his way back to his dorm. He was crossing a bridge on his way to his room, and the concrete sizzled from heat. Rin could also see the heat in the air, bending the air around him in the distance as if it was water. Luckily, Rin found a nearby shop which sold cold, solid popsicles for only 120¥, since he barely had money on him besides his monthly allowance of 10000¥, which wasn't enough to even last him one day.

Rin thought he forgot something important but he didn't care. He just caressed his popsicle in his sweaty hands and pealed off the wrap. He moaned in thirst and plopped the popsicle in his mouth. Winter had finally arrived in his mouth and Rin was satisfied. He sucked on it and lapped up every drop of it. He couldn't afford to miss any of it.

By the time Rin arrived at the dorm, his popsicle was gone, luckily he bought 5 more.

"Hey!" Rin called at his brother. "Sorry! The shop was packed, so I stayed there longer than expected." Rin kicked off his sandals and walked to his desk. His homework was laid open, patiently waiting for him. The moment Rin laid the bag of popsicles on his desk, he stretched and unfurled his tail from around his chest. It creeped out from underneath his shirt and it wagged happily. "Ah, that feels good."

Rin plopped onto the chair. A warm breeze swept through the twins from the fan Yukio set up. It didn't make much to regulate the temperature, but it was enough to evaporate the sweat off the brothers' faces.

"Argh! My popsicle's already melting, damn it!" Rin crumpled the wrapper and tossed it in the can across the room, by the door. The juices of the popsicle stained his homework and hands in blue, sticky blotches.

Yukio took a quick peek in silence in the bag. "Where's my mineral water?"

"Huh?!" Rin looked in the bag then said, "uh... I dropped it?"

Yukio looked so done. "You... dropped it?"

Rin laughed uncomfortably and scratched his head. Rin's laugh got quieter when he realized Yukio wasn't buying it. "Okay, so I forgot! Sorry. Y'know, it's all transparent and all so it's basically invisible...?"

Rin swore Yukio was threatening him with a kick in the gut.

Yukio looked back at his homework. Rin felt guilty and added, "I'll go back and get one if you want! Want my popsicle?"

"It doesn't matter. I'll get it myself later," Yukio grabbed his sharpened pencil and wrote.

"Sorry," Rin said sadly and shoved his popsicle in his mouth. Rin looked at his stained homework and threw his pencil at it. "What the hell? This is too much work on a Sunday! Being an Exwire's a pain. Where's the actual physical work?"

Rin grabbed the cram school agenda, turned it to a certain page, and shoved it in Yukio's face. "And look at that! Exwires are at the freakin' _bottom_!"

Rin looked at it for a moment. The page had a hierarchy of exorcist ranks, from page at the bottom, to the Paladin at the top. "Which one are you at?" Rin asked curiously.

"Intermediate exorcist first class," Yukio responded dully.

"Oh, that's damn low!" Rin laughed.

"Like you're one to talk..." Yukio sighed.

Rin flipped through the pages, observing only the pictures. "Damn, it must take forever to become a _Paladin_. I wanna go on a mission, where we actually use combat!"

"Only one person can be Paladin," Yukio spoke suddenly, and stopped writing. "... and they're chosen selectively based on skill and intelligence. No one would send you on a mission even if they had no choice," Yukio spoke bluntly.

"What the hell...?!" Rin gaped in hurt.

"You act foolishly on your own. You disobey orders, and even if you didn't, you can't even run simple errands," Yukio crossed his arms in indignation.

"What?! I apologized!" Rin shouted.

"No, that's not all of the point," Yukio lowered his head. "When you fight, you rely on your flames far too much. You also need to stray away from that habit of immediately drawing your sword without examining the situation. Even though you heal faster, it isn't always advantageous. You've gotta stop using your own body as a shield in battles, Nii-san."

Rin unconsciously held his side where Neuhaus stabbed him.

Yukio looked at his brother in a worried, but serious way. "Sooner or later, if you keep this up, Satan's power will _conquer_ you."

Rin paused for a moment, a frown crossed his face. "What the hell? I helped you out and I didn't go berserk or anything! Besides, I saved everyone, didn't I?" Rin scowled. "I don't need my baby brother lecturing me or anything, especially preaching to me like the old man!"

"I'm saying this for your own safety, Nii-san!" Yukio raised his voice. "I'm doing this for Father Fujimoto. I bet he's so worried he's rolling in his grave..."

Rin's eye twitched a little. He looked away and bit off a piece of his popsicle. "Wow, I never though that old fart was so sensitive!"

Yukio frowned in disgust. ""Old fart"?" Yukio clenched his fists and looked at the papers on his desk. "It's really time you cast aside this rebellious attitude of yours, and GROW UP!"

"Huh?!" Rin almost yelled. "Excuse me?! What makes you so freakin' cool like an adult, eh?" Rin spat and threw the popsicle on his desk. "Just cus' your smart and Shiemi drools for you doesn't make ya hot!"

Yukio's eyes widened. "Huh?! What's Shiemi-san got to do with this? What you said is completely absurd and untrue!

"It _is_ true, Four-Eyes!" Rin pointed at his glasses. "Are so blind you can't even see that with our damn glasses on?! You must be more stupid than me!"

Yukio was taken aback. ""Stupid"?" Yukio smiled indignantly and pushed up his glasses firmly. "You're the stupid one who can't even run errands properly."

"Are you still nagging about that?! Why don't you get over it like a MATURE adult!?" Rin yelled.

However, Yukio went on. "You're fighting skills are terrible! You have no knowledge on what's at risk here, you just go ahead without even thinking and use your flames! Use you HEAD more!"

"WHY YOU—FOUR-EYES!" At this point Rin couldn't take it any more. He took a step forward and threw his arm up, his hand hit Yukio's glasses and they soared off his face. Rin and Yukio went dead silent as the glasses hit the ceiling and landed back on top of Yukio's head. The lenses were cracked and pieces of glass fell down on the wooden floor.

The only audible sound that could be heard in the silence was the crickets chirping outside.

Rin was first to break the silence. "Haha! It's a miracle! Holy crap, I just committed a MIRACLE! Haha!" Rin snorted loudly.

"This isn't damn funny!" Yukio hissed and Rin could feel his piercing glare burn through his eyes. Rin recoiled and shut up.

Suddenly the door opened and Hana barged right in.

Rin jumped up and backed away, immediately grabbing his tail and shoved it down his pants from behind. Amitiel looked annoyed. Yukio's flaming temper cooled down immediately and the two brothers looked at her, almost petrified of her sudden appearance.

"What have you humans been _doing_?" Amitiel frowned and placed her hands on her hips. Rin could easily tell she was also affected by the arid heat. She wore none other but a tank top over a sports bra and a pair of light blue jean shorts. Her hair was bundled up in a high bun which was held together by many bobby-pins. Loose strands of her blond hair rested on her cheeks, and a small clump laid over her face, which she kept blowing away with her mouth. "I heard you scream for exactly 5 minutes and 37 seconds! Do I need to step in and stop this?"

"U-Uh..." Rin mumbled and looked between Yukio and Amitiel. Suddenly a tune sounded which originated from Yukio's cellphone in his pocket. Rin remained silent and Yukio took off his broken glasses on his forehead and laid them on his desk. Amitiel was a little surprised on how much Yukio resembled Rin when he took his glasses off. She also wondered how his glasses had been broken but didn't bother to ask, or even care.

Yukio pressed the answer key and held the screen up against his round ear. Rin and Amitiel couldn't hear the voice across the line. Amitiel stared at Rin, and just by observing his vivid azure eyes she saw guilt.

"...Yes," Yukio said. "I'll be there right away." Yukio hung up and placed the phone back in his pocket. "I have to go do something," Yukio said with a sigh.

"Huh? Is it an exorcism?" Rin wanted to wag his tail from excitement but it was curled up around his leg in his pants.

"It's none of your business," Yukio spoke sharply and pulled out his drawer from under the desk, many rows of spare glasses came into sight and Yukio picked one up. Rin swore his eyes were going to pop out of his sockets. _So many spares!_ He never even knew Yukio had that many spare glasses. Perhaps since Yukio goes one missions his glasses get broken in the process, and sometimes by his own brother, of course.

Amitiel only commented to herself on how well-prepared Yukio was.

Yukio grabbed his exorcist coat hanging in his closet and slipped into it. He tightened his belt around his cassock and adjusted the folds around his neck. Amitiel and Rin watched when Yukio approached a cabinet and pulled out an odd, cylindrical contraption. Dust had gathered on the surface and Yukio blew it off. "I'll be back as soon as possible. Be sure to get your homework done, Nii-san." Yukio glanced at Hana. "At least ask Tanaka-san for her assistance."

"Huh?!" Rin bolted out the door with his sword as Yukio walked out, however, Amitiel didn't follow until she was a long distance away from them, then walked out quietly.

* * *

A loud, demonic roar shook the earth around True Cross Academy. The growls became louder as Yukio approached the entrance to True Cross Academy which led to a highway towards Hayashi and True Cross Academy Town. At this moment, the highway was empty and deserted since it was evacuated and the entrance in town was blocked by the local police. The news was curious to investigate and the exorcists reported falsely that it was a shooting and that the suspect will be handled as safely as possible.

Except that suspect wasn't even close to human.

Yukio ran to the entry-way. Yellow and black striped tape with 'KEEP OUT' printed in bold black letters was wrapped around light posts and stretched across, blocking access. A few exorcists stood on guard for any curious civilians. They couldn't afford a hostage or an injury at this point. Yukio calmly walked over and flashed his I.D and badge at a questioning exorcist. "Okumura Yukio, Intermediate Exorcist First Class."

The exorcist confirmed his identity with a firm nod and said, "right on time. Please, this way." The exorcist lifted the tape and Yukio crouched slightly and went under it.

Yukio knew by the gear the exorcist was wearing around his belt that he was a Dragoon, thus Yukio knew the only class of exorcists are Dragoons, but will they be enough to take on a powerful, high-level demon on a rampage?

"And I'm Okumura Rin! Newly appointed Exwire!" Rin grinned from behind Yukio, who frowned in indignation.

"What are you doing here?!" Yukio yelled. "Exwires aren't qualified for field battle at this level! Why are you here?!"

Rin rubbed his hands together with a guilty pout. "I was worried about breaking your one-hundredth pair of glasses..."

"Just let it go, already!" Yukio shouted. His shout was put on hold when a roar sounded from the highway past the archway entrance.

Yukio looked back at Rin and continued his shouting, "I don't have time for this, Nii-san! Go home right now!"

Rin only jeered at him by sticking his tongue out, "make me!"

Yukio couldn't take it any more. He had no choice but to reluctantly allow Rin in with him.

"We've been waiting for you, Okumura!" The exorcist said as they jogged to the scene. Yukio and Rin gasped to a halt at the sight. The black cat, which used to be only normal-sized, was now monstrous and huge. The black cat had large, yellow horns on its head and two tails. It was obvious to Rin this was a demon they were dealing with. Its large, sharp green eyes burned with anger and hatred.

"_Liars! You're all lying!_"

Rin gasped again when he heard a voice echo in his head. He had no doubt about where it came from. That demon was speaking.

"What's the situation?" Yukio asked sternly at the young security officer, who was on the ground with a long bandage wrapped around his injured arm. It was obvious it didn't do much good since it was already spotted with fresh blood from the wounds.

"Kuro suddenly became enormous and attacked us... we accidentally let word slip that Father Fujimoto died," the other officer said and he covered his mouth.

"Are you okay?" Yukio turned to the injured officer.

"I'll manage, but more importantly... what are you gonna do to Kuro?" The officer asked nervously, his heart sank at the possibility he did not want to happen.

"Don't worry..." Yukio said and turned towards the demon on the tall highway post standing on both sides of the bridge. "I have a plan on exorcising him."

Yukio began approaching the exorcists that were busy shooting tranquillizers at the demon, until Rin stopped him.

"Hey, hold on a sec! What's all this got to do with Father Fujimoto?" Rin's heart palpitated at the thought of his foster father.

"That cat sìdhe..." Yukio sighed, "was Father Fujimoto's familiar."

The exorcists shot many tranquillizer darts at the demon. The darts stuck to its skin, injecting a sleeping agent in order to weaken it, however, it made no difference. The exorcists continued to shower the demon with more bullets. The cat sìdhe's fur was full of darts injected into its skin. He shook himself violently and the syringes flung out of his fur and scattered all over. The demon earned a chance to attack when the exorcists ran out of tranquillizer bullets. The demon pounced off the highway sign and slammed onto the ground, cracking it. The exorcists lost their balance and the black cat used that to his advantage and swung his two tails at the exorcists, hitting them and launching them away.

The demon cat roared in anger and the exorcists felt a shiver run up their spines. There was no way they could tame a demon with this much power.

"Kuro used to be a grand deity for silk cultivation!" An exorcist shouted. "This ain't gonna be easy!"

"Huh? A deity?" Rin questioned, anticipating an answer from Yukio.

"A cat sìdhe is a demon that possesses cats," Yukio spoke. "Some of these demons have unique characteristics such as the twin tails you see on that one, if they've lived long enough. They were worshipped in Japan as a protective deity of silkworms since the 1800s. These demons are responsible for protecting silkworms from mice or any potential threats, thus they are worshipped at shrines and co-existed with humans. To be honest, they aren't considered such dangerous creatures. However, as time passes on, silk cultivation slowly died out, and people forgot about their deity. The time came to finally destroy Kuro's shrine and home, he caused many injuries when he went on a rampage to destroy the machinery that was destroying his home, and because of that... he became a demon."

Rin's chest hurt all of a sudden, and he began to feel sorrow for the poor cat sìdhe.

Once the exorcists loaded their weapons again, they fired. Kuro roared and pounced off the highway sign and smashed a nearby truck that was left abandoned. An exorcist that was on top of the truck jumped off with a scream. She landed hard on the hot pavement and earned a large burning cut from skidding on the pavement. Some doctors rushed to her aid while the other Dragoons attempted to distract Kuro as the doctors brought her back to safety.

"_You're all lying! Shiro isn't dead!_" The demon screamed, however it came out more like a loud, angry growl. But to Rin, he heard a voice—the cat sìdhe's. It was much more feminine and he sounded like a young child.

"Okumura is here!" One of the exorcists shouted at the others, who were busy shooting at the demon with tranquillizer darts.

An exorcist registered what one of his comrades said and stopped shooting. "Everyone behind me, hold your fire!" He shouted behind by raising his fist up. A small group of exorcists lowered their weapons and halted, while the rest in front continued to distract the fiend from attacking the others.

"Mr. Okumura, glad you could make it!" The lead exorcist exclaimed. He had a burly build. His head was squared with a large forehead and his short hair was spiked up in a crew-cut. In one of his powerful hands was a black hand tranquillizer gun used in animal control. It was modified to sustain darts that were more than .50 calibre due to the cat sìdhe's size.

"The cat sìdhe that is responsible for guarding the rear gate has gone berserk. We've sealed off the street up to one kilometre, sir," he said.

"We've shot it with tranquillizer darts, so it has slowed down for the time being," a female exorcist joined in. She seemed rather calm, but the sweat building up on her forehead indicated otherwise, and not because of the heat. Her black hair was tied up in a tight ponytail with some strands hanging over. She was prepared to withstand the heat as she was wearing a pair of light-blue jean shorts.

"However, Kuro will be sure to recover quickly. We've tried everything we've learned in the book: holy water, bullets, holy silver—but to no avail," the burly exorcist said.

An exorcist with short, curly, orange hair and thick black glasses added, "we still haven't discovered the cat sìdhe's Death Verse, so an aria is out of the question. So when we heard you had some kind of weapon specialized for Kuro, we had to summon you here."

"So how do you know so much about Kuro?" An exorcist questioned.

"You participated on that mission on that day, didn't you?" The female exorcist asked.

"What mission?" An exorcist asked.

"It was the mission for taming Kuro after weeks on a rampage," the female exorcist spoke. "I was also on that mission. Since most of the population couldn't see demons, weird phenomena occurred at a construction site that used to be a shrine. Trucks were rolled over and the structures of newly built buildings were knock down out of thin air before they could be completed. Everyone saw the site to be cursed and haunted, so many shamans were sent over to the site to expel the spirit, but they all failed. Kuro outmatched them greatly." The exorcist breathed. "So they finally turned towards the Knights of the True Cross..."

Rin knew what she was gonna say next, but there was something else that she added that made his heart cringe even more.

"The man chosen to exorcise the god-turned-demon... was the Paladin, Father Shiro Fujimoto."

Rin let out a surprised gasp. Memories of his and his father's last moments replayed in his head. All his life, Rin never knew Shiro was legitimately an exorcist, let alone the Paladin. If Shiro was really this powerful to be Paladin, the Order's greatest exorcist... how could Rin have _killed_ him so easily?

Rin's chilling words that killed his father echoed in his head, haunting him:

_"Don't ever pretend to be my father again!"_

* * *

Amitiel had witnessed everything that had occurred, without a single soul knowing. She was standing in the middle of the bridge connecting the old male dormitory to True Cross Academy. The scenery was yards away, but Amitiel could see everything with her keen eyes, including Rin and Yukio, with the exorcists and the rogue demon on the highway. However, she didn't want to make an appearance and decided to stay on stand-by, in case the demon could not be tamed and she would have to kill him with her own hands. The hot wind blew across the bridge, brushing through her blond hair, and in one of her hands resting on the stone railing of the bridge was her blade, shining from the sun and sharper than diamond.

She waited, patiently, for that moment to strike.

* * *

"Whoa, then that must have been pretty serious if the previous Paladin stepped in," and exorcist remarked and took a glance at Kuro, who was growling, standing still in caution.

"No, it was peaceful and... surprising." The female exorcist closed her eyes, replaying the scene she witnessed before her eyes. "I was baffled and impressed on how he could tame Kuro without spilling a single drop of blood..."

Yukio began to reminisce those moments that proved Shiro Fujimoto was the greatest exorcist in history.

_Shiro placed his fist on his hip and cocked his head back at Yukio and the exorcists behind him. He wore a long black cassock with a column of buttons running along the middle of his chest. A heavy white belt with a silver rosary dangled down, and his neck had loads of long necklaces, one with an exquisite, ornate key, and the other with his signature exorcist badge, shining valiantly from the sunlight. In the Paladin's hand was some sort of sake bottle._

_"Man, it's a nice day out for an exorcism," Shiro smirked at his comrades. "Too bad I won't need to do that."_

_"Sir..." An exorcist started._

_"Relax, kid, I got this," Shiro winked and moved towards the menacing demon. In a matter of seconds, Kuro calmed down just by Shiro talking to him. Yukio saw his father raise the sake in his hand and Kuro laid down calmly, curious at what was in the bottle._

The woman looked at Yukio with a gentle smile. "Do you remember those days?"

Yukio looked down and replied, "yes... I do." His smile was crooked, as if he was forcing it.

"So after that, Fujimoto named him Kuro, and entered a pact with him to guard the academy..." The woman sighed and looked over to Kuro. "but he's still a demon, and the Knights are responsible for handling them when they become a threat. I guess since Fujimoto died the contract gets broken and he reverts to being a savage demon again."

"With Fujimoto gone, his skills are lost too. You're the only one who has the closest relationship with Fujimoto, so you must have some solution of dealing with Kuro," the woman said.

"Yes, I brought it with me right here," Yukio raised the weapon. The exorcists looked at the weapon. It was none other but a holy water grenade.

Before someone could question Yukio, he opened up the container. Some of the exorcists jerked back in case the container showered them with water, but nothing happened. Instead, there was a small, steel container in it.

Yukio said, "around a year ago, Father Fujimoto prepared for this moment, so he prepared this in case he passed away suddenly." Yukio furrowed his eyebrows. "He said this will ease his suffering."

Yukio closed it back up. "It appears to be some sort of modified hand grenade, perhaps containing a lethal drug that will—" Yukio gulped a little. He couldn't say that word. "—that will end his pain."

The exorcists remained silent for a moment, saddened that this may be time to bid farewell to Kuro.

"I see," the woman spoke finally. "I'll trust in you."

"You need backup?" The burly exorcist asked.

"No thanks, as long as I throw it accurately enough within his range, it should be no problem," Yukio responded.

"Alright," the tough exorcist sighed in relief. He turned towards the exorcists in front of the demon and raised his hand up. "Men and women, fall back!"

The exorcists stopped and backed up to the gate until Yukio was the only one within Kuro's range.

"_Liars!_" Kuro screamed. "_He'd never die, Shiro was the strongest— he will come back! He's not dead!_"

Rin studied the demon and finally registered what he was doing. Kuro was too overcome with grief that he could only deny his death in order to comfort him. But Rin knew it was time Kuro accepted reality.

"Nii-san, you should join up with the rest. The drug's effects might affect you," Yukio suggested.

"Wait, so you're gonna kill it?" Rin asked.

"Yes, unfortunately there is no exorcist alive that can tame a demon of this class. The best option would be to kill it," Yukio furrowed his eyebrows. "Now go."

The ground shook when the demon smacked its twin tails onto the concrete, cracking it around. "_He's coming back, and until he returns—I won't die!"_

Yukio moved towards Kuro when Rin stopped him. "Hold on a sec!" Rin shouted.

"What?!" Yukio glared back at him.

"I think he's just in denial. You can't kill him for that!" Rin protested.

"Why should I take your word?" Yukio questioned him harshly.

"I dunno... I guess it's something like demon telepathy...?" Rin scratched his head in thought.

Yukio looked back at Kuro. "But Nii-san... we can't just leave him like this..."

"Let me talk him out of it!" Rin shouted suddenly.

Yukio's eyes widened. "Talk?! Are you serious?" Yukio regretted letting him come here.

Before Yukio could argue any more Rin smiled confidently, "chill out, bro! I ain't gonna use my sword. I'll take your advice and not rely on Satan's flames—I'll just use my head!"

"Nii-san—!" Yukio called when Rin walked up towards Kuro.

"Hey!" Rin called out to the demon. "My name's Rin Okumura, I'm Shiro's son."

Rin's words reached the demon immediately and it stopped growling as it spoke, "_Shiro's—?_"

"He's dead," Rin spoke flatly.

"Nii-san!" Yukio gasped at how blunt he was.

Kuro growled ferociously. "_You're lying! I don't believe you!_"

"He's dead and he ain't gonna come back!" Rin cried out.

"_NO! STOP LYING!_" Kuro screamed as he charged towards Rin. Rin tensed his whole body, locked his shoulders and spread his legs, driving his feet into the ground, and grit his teeth hard as Kuro's forehead collided against his. Yukio gasped and grabbed his own forehead, protecting it.

_He literally used his head_! Yukio was ready to pass out.

The demon tumbled over, while Rin took a moment to regain himself. Rin opened his eyes and looked at the demon, a trail of hot red blood trickled down his nose and he wiped it off.

"You... really loved the old man, didn't you?" Rin spoke calmly. "You're just sad he's gone, right?"

Kuro looked up at him, calm and composed.

Rin raised his hand out to Kuro, adding, "I feel the same thing you do... so let's be friends."

Kuro gasped and so did Yukio. They couldn't believe what was happening before their eyes.

"Nii-san..." Yukio said as he recalled how the Paladin handled Kuro.

_"Hey, you really loved humans, didn't you?" Shiro smiled warmly. "You're just said they're gone, right?"_

_Kuro looked at Shiro expectantly. He raised his hand and said, "it's alright, we've come to help you—so let's be friends, shall we? I brought some great silver-vine sake!"_

Kuro saw Shiro Fujimoto holding his hand out to him, and then he stared at Rin, who was doing the same gesture again. "_Shiro..._" Kuro's eyes began to water. Memories of his and Shiro's times together flooded in his mind. He remembered that day he tasted Shiro's sake, and was the best sake he had ever received. The only difference was not because the sake was offered to him as worship, but because Shiro offered it to him because he understood his pain.

Of all the years he existed, his life was happy since he met the exorcist named Shiro Fujimoto. Their time together felt so short, but it was far better than all of Kuro's life that lived up to that. Shiro, a human, gave him the chance to live again. He had saved him, and since then Kuro wished every possibility for him to repay his debt. However, now his debt could never be repaid. Kuro was saddened he will no longer see his master again. This was the last time he will ever share his happiness with him. He was gone—forever.

"_Shiro..._" Kuro's eyes watered heavily and tears fell down his face. Kuro whined one last time and reverted to his tiny, delicate feline form, bawling and whining, mourning for his lost master.

"_Shiro's gone...!_"

* * *

The blade fell out of her hand and it clattered on the stone bridge floor.

The moment she saw those tears, Amitiel gasped loudly and backed away until she hit the other side of the bridge. Amitiel fell on his knees and covered her mouth. She felt so traumatized at what she had witnessed. Was that real? Was what she saw really real?

"I-Im... _impossible_...!" Amitiel's eyes widened and her pupils dilated.

"A demon... but _how_?" Amitiel's hands shivered and her body suddenly became cold. She bolted up and ran back to the other side of the bridge to observe one last time, just to confirm her eyes weren't deceiving her.

They weren't.

Amitiel watched closely as Rin picked up Kuro in his arms as he shed tears.

"N-no..." Amitiel shut her eyes and spun away. She leaned her weight against the bridge placed her hands on her head. Her fingers dug into her scalp and she huffed. "A demon... cannot have any love for a human—can it?"

Suddenly, Amitiel just realized something very crucial on her current understanding of demons.

She witnessed the proof that _even demons can shed tears_.

* * *

"So... what do you think, Amaimon?" Mephisto said, who was calmly sitting on a fancy ivory coloured seat beside. He crossed his leg over the other and twirled his index fingers around each other in anticipation. Amaimon accompanied him and was sitting on another seat beside him.

"Hmm," Amaimon hummed softly. His fingers circled around his eyes as if he were using them as glasses. Mephisto knew Amaimon was a little touched in the head. However, he was a gentle older brother and decided to keep quiet. "I can't quite judge him clearly since I haven't seen him in battle yet."

"Yes, but that's what makes it exciting. Aren't you even slightly curious about his potential capabilities, wouldn't you like to... experiment on that?" Mephisto beamed.

"Hmm," Amaimon hummed again. "The fact that he's been like this for a while really does make me impatient..."

"I guess you're right. But he's been put under strict orders not to behave like that. I can't just leave him roaming around like a beast in my academy, that would indeed taint the Order's trust in me." Mephisto rested one side of his face on his fist. "But if an outside influence forced him out of my orders, then that's fine, as long as they do not plant suspicion on me."

Mephisto realized Amaimon wasn't listening, he stared out the window of the large archway entrance to the academy, just before Rin and the exorcists, with Kuro in Rin's arms.

"So tell me, are you with my plan or not?" Mephisto asked.

"Yes, but before that," Amaimon opened up his hands and puffs of smoke exploded around them. Colourful pamphlets on tours in Japan appeared in Amaimon's hands after the smoke dissipated. "I would like to explore this curious human place called "Japan" you're so obsessed with."

"Amaimon," Mephisto lowered his voice. "I didn't give you the Eternity Key for sightseeing. Remember your real purpose for coming here."

"Yes, older brother," Amaimon replied and stood up from his seat. He bowed to him then made his way to the door. There stood Mr. Neuhaus, in a light-coloured shirt and a black, short edition of the exorcist jacket, except he no longer beared the badge of the Knights of the True Cross.

After Amaimon left the building, Mr. Neuhaus heaved a sigh and asked, "are you sure about this?

"Yes, I always know what I'm doing," Mephisto replied, satisfaction calmed himself. He remembered one small detail regarding Amaimon. By the look in his bright, green eyes, Mephisto knew he was interested.

_Splendid._ Mephisto spoke in his head. _Now I just have to handle one small problem before I can put my plan into action._

He pulled out a file and flipped it open, a picture of a certain blond-haired Exwire was clipped to the file.

* * *

**A/N: OMFG FINALLY.**

**Had a huuuuuuuuge writer's block for this, so sorry! And sorry, it's just filler because I like to retell the story from my writing perspective, except you learn another thing on Amitiel, so I guess it's... half-filler (?)**

**Due to a little request, I'll be posting chapter updates on my deviantart. Since some of you may have a dA account and no FF account, this will be the best way to communicate with me (****＾ｖ＾****)**


	18. Chapter 17: Choice: Part 1

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 17: Choice: Part 1**_

* * *

**Rin was still half-asleep when his clock screamed beside him, signaling it was 7:00 am.** Instead of calmly shutting it off, Rin's fist shot out of his covers and smashed onto the clock. With a loud crash the clock crumpled into a pile of metal. A spring was sticking out of the rubble and it bounced lightly. Rin opened his stiff eyes and groaned at the sight of the broken clock. "Ah, crap. Yukio's gonna kill me for that..."

Rin realized Kuro had woken up from the clock (or that smash—maybe both) and jumped onto him in his bed. He meowed and Rin couldn't help but lightly scratch under the cat's chin. "Sorry if I woke you up, Kuro."

Kuro purred warmly and rubbed himself along Rin's thigh.

Rin rubbed his eye and got out of bed after sitting there for half an hour. He reached under his shirt and scratched his chest and yawned. Rin saw a note written on his desk, and judging by the fancy writing, he knew who it was from:

_**Nii-san,**_

_**Please don't forget to meet me and the students at Mephyland at noon (that's 12:00 **__**pm**__**).**_

_**Do NOT be late again.**_

—_**Yukio**_

"Jeez," Rin spat to himself. He noticed Yukio really emphasized the "pm" part. There were many dark lines under it. In fact, the whole note was emphasized.

"I just can't be trusted, huh?" Rin looked at Kuro with a goofy smile.

"Hey, ya wanna help me make some breakfast?" Rin asked.

Kuro's ears pricked up in excitement. "_Yes!"_

"Just remind me to make some extra for you, Yukio, and Hana." Rin ruffled his messy navy-blue hair and walked out of the room and Kuro followed. A cool air brushed through Rin's face when he walked out of the dorm. He noticed Yukio opened some of the windows in the hallway. Since there was no air conditioning in the dorm, it was muggy and hot, and Rin had no choice but to completely sleep without any covers on him. Usually he slept with only his feet under the covers, but it got to a point even his feet got too hot. His demonic heritage granted him a higher body temperature than normal, since Rin could literally be on fire. He wasn't the only one affected by the heat. And it was not Yukio, despite being twins. Yukio was the one who can resist the heat much greater than Rin. Rin was baffled on how Yukio could even wear that thick, black cassock around in this heat. Kuro, on the other hand, seemed to have struggled with the heat. Ever since Kuro was invited in their dorm, Rin and Yukio had to frequently vacuum the room because that cat just couldn't stop shedding even if he tried to stop. Yukio was pretty anal at keeping his room clean, and that resulted in prohibiting Kuro from going onto his bed. Rin didn't even care anymore. He admitted he even shed a little because of his tail.

Rin went into the dorm kitchen and fetched a pan and fried up _tamagoyaki_, a traditional omelette. Kuro doesn't even know of Rin's cooking skills yet, so Rin wanted this to be perfect.

Rin whipped up some eggs in a small, clear bowl. In another bowl, he mixed sugar, the appropriate seasonings, and added a pinch of salt. He combined the ingredients together in one bowl. Kuro fetched a small sieve and brought it back to Rin. He stroked Kuro and strained the egg yolk and seasonings over a measuring cup. He discarded the thick pieces of egg whites in the garbage and rinsed the sieve. He spread some oil on a rectangular pan and pre-heated it until the oil was beginning to sizzle. He poured the batter onto the pan and allowed it to sit, poking bubbles on the surface of the batter with his chopsticks. Kuro smelled the food sizzling on the pain and already fell in love with the scent. "_Rin! It smells so good!_"

"Good! Cause this is a surprise present for ya!" Rin beamed. "You may not have known this, but cooking is my specialty. What I'm making is some kind of egg omelette. You need to make sure the batter isn't crispy or else it makes it difficult to roll up without cracking..."

Kuro watched Rin in amazement as he rolled the batter into a log. Once the omelette was cooked enough, Rin poured some more in the pan, moving the log to the edge in order to cover the surface of the pan with more batter. He rolled the log over the cooked egg layer and the log looked fuller and softer. Rin repeated this 3 more times and by that time the log was thick and it looked fluffy. Rin scooped the omelette out and set it onto a bamboo mat and rolled it up until it was a perfect roll. Rin cut the roll into slices and set them onto a small plate. While Rin made the omelette, he also prepared some fresh steamed white rice, miso soup and added a side of grated _daikon_ and soy sauce for the omelette.

Kuro tried to resist his mouth from watering up as Rin set down a plate of miso soup, rice, and 3 omelette rolls in front of him. Rin crossed his arms in satisfaction and said, "dig in!"

Kuro had sparkles in his big green eyes and gulped down a large bite of the omelette. He froze and suddenly he felt his whole body melt away as if he was the egg batter. The seasonings and the salt gave him the taste of Heaven, but the fluffiness of the omelette felt like his mouth was laying in a pile of golden yellow clouds. "_So good!"_

Judging by the bedazzled look on Kuro's face, Rin knew Kuro loved his cooking. Maybe a little too much.

By the time Kuro finished, which was less than a minute, Amitiel had woken up and came down the stairs to see what Rin was cooking. She smelled the aroma from her dorm and was curious. "I see you've made yourself a nice breakfast."

"Oh! Mornin' Hana!" Rin beamed. "Actually, I've made this for the three of us!"

"Thank you, Rin," Amitiel said without a smile. But then she realized something was off. "—Wait, there's only two of us right now."

"No, three of us are here! This is Kuro!" Rin smiled and directed at the black cat, who was sitting patiently on the table, with his empty plate in front of him. He licked every corner of it.

"I've never met this Kuro fellow—" Amitiel froze when she stared at him. She recognized him the moment she walked in the kitchen and saw him. Just by reading his aura she knew this wasn't good. It was a demon. The cat sídhe, to be specific.

And a high-class demon at that.

Amitiel had flashbacks of the past day, when she witnessed this demon before her shed tears—as if he was human. Amitiel, the angel who lived through centuries, never saw a single sign of empathy or anything human in a demon. They were born destructive and evil, and their main goal was to create hell in the lives of humans—that is what their purpose is.

And her purpose was to annihilate them. Every single one of them—to protect humanity.

But... was her current understanding of demons wrong? Could it actually be possible for one to feel empathy, compassion, and grief? Amitiel tried her best to deny everything about what she saw that day. Heaven is never wrong on what they taught her. They are the ones who know the most about demons, because angels are the ancestors of demons.

And she was taught all demons were evil.

"Rin..." Amitiel breathed. "What... in Heaven's name... is _that_?"

"_Excuse me! I have a name, y'know!_" Kuro meowed.

"Huh?" Rin looked at her confusingly. "That's Kuro, my new familiar!"

"Why... is a _demon_ in my presence?" Amitiel clenched her fists. She did not expect this at all. She had felt some demonic presence which caused her to wake up, but she didn't expect it to be in this very building.

"_My name's Kuro, if you ignored what Rin said!_" Kuro meowed again. "_And why are you acting so high and mighty?!_" Kuro shut himself up when he realized he made a great mistake from talking to her. He found her deathly, dark-brown eyes on him, threatening him. It seems she was able to understand him as well. Kuro arched his back and his fur on his back stood on end, and he began to growl. He saw through her physical appearance and saw something, more like felt something that sent shivers down his whole body. He didn't know what, but Kuro only sensed power.

Dangerous, ancient power.

"Hey! What's with the staring contest?" Rin spun his head between Amitiel and Kuro.

Amitiel furrowed her eyebrows and flashed her dark eyes at him, Kuro growled and slowly recoiled. Rin could feel the hostility between them sizzle in the air, to be frank, it made him nervous.

"Okay, you two done giving each other the death stare?" Rin crossed his arms.

The two spun their heads straight at him.

"Shut up, Rin," Kuro and Amitiel spat at the same time.

Rin gulped and raised his hands up and backed away slowly.

* * *

The clock struck noon, and it was time for the students to meet in Mephyland, a private amusement park owned by none other than Mephisto Pheles. It is an extension of True Cross Academy, where students could play after school and relieve school stress, but the whole purpose of this park was a lot simpler—it was mainly so Mephisto could enjoy himself on his spare time, and also because he had the power to build it with the trillions of dollars he possesses. Despite the growing numbers of his age, Mephisto still has the mentality of a child.

"Okay, that is just scary beyond the depths of Hell," Rin gulped. His eyes were glued to a statue of Mephisto Pheles—in _gold_. The detailing was so precise it was horrifying. The sculpturers even perfectly captured his droopy, creepy-looking smug.

The others—Shima, Bon, Konekomaru, Amitiel, and the puppet-guy, Nemu, and the hooded guy, Yamada—all sat around the statue which stood on a round platform with seating around it. The statue stood in front of the park entrance, which appeared like a small castle, but the gates were closed. Along the right wall of the entrance were buildings connected to True Cross Academy. Over the entrance high up in the sky, there were large balloons of chibis of Mephisto and other creatures, like dogs, cats, boys. and girls. Some extensions of the roller coasters could be spotted and the upper half of the Ferris wheel could be seen. None of the machines were in operation at this moment. Today was a perfect day for people to go to the park, but it was too dangerous. This was why Yukio and Tsubaki were sent here along with the Exwires.

"So..." Rin sighed. "What did you guys do for your first mission as Exwires?"

Konekomaru shrugged his shoulders. "I had to clean the Reaper cages."

Ryuji crossed his arms firmly. "I had to sample the Baryoshi for Tamagawa-sensei."

"I had to prepare more holy water," Amitiel joined in.

"—And I had to carry supplies for Yamaoku-sensei! I got some muscle for that!" Shima cooed while leaning himself back, crossing his arms under his head and resting them on the edge of the statue's platform.

"Damn, we've just become Exwires and this is all we get as missions?" Ryuji frowned.

"I wouldn't even call them missions! They're just chores!" Shima whined.

Rin giggled lowly and smirked. "Well, guess what I had to do?"

"—Ponder on how stupid you are? That'd be nice to get some actual sense in you, _if_ possible," Ryuji jeered.

Rin threatened him with a scornful glance. "No... even better than that! I beat a demon!" Rin beamed and pointed his thumb at himself.

"What the actual hell?!" Ryuji shouted suddenly.

"I even made it my familiar!" Rin smiled.

"Oh, you think you could lie your way into becoming cool? Come on, man. Let's see you summon it!" Ryuji said.

"Uh, I left it in my dorm," Rin puffed out his cheeks and scratched his head, something that caused Ryuji to feel unimpressed in him for his lack of proper pet-handling.

"Oh, he "left" it?" Ryuji told his friends, using "quote-on-quote" gestures with his fingers.

"I'm not lying, I swear!"

"In case you need reassurance, Suguro-kun—Rin's not lying," Amitiel added alongside the conversation.

"Whatever, what pisses me off the most is how the hell those two became exwires!" Ryuji raised his voice, directing it to the puppet-boy and the hooded figure. The hooded one had a PSP in their hands, and at this moment, they were busy playing a game.

"Hey! Maybe they actually do something when no one's around!" Shima exclaimed.

"Well, they should friggin' do something when somebody's around!" Suguro yelled back, but then cooled himself off. "By the way, I'm surprised the girls are late. Usually it's Okumura I'd expect to be an hour late!"

"Sorry we're late!"

The boys turned their heads ahead of them and saw Shiemi, followed by Izumo, bolting down the path towards them. The boys all dropped their mouths and deep red blush plastered their faces when they realized Shiemi was no longer wearing her Kimono, instead, she wore a school uniform. The students didn't notice how curvy and small Shiemi was under those layers of her Kimono until now. Shima carefully stared at her with a thumping heart as her breasts swung delicately as she ran. Rin and Ryuji couldn't divert their eyes away from her figure, as they were dazzled by her new appearance.

Amitiel stood by Yukio and Tsubaki, the three of them seemed unaffected by Shiemi unlike the boys, who were practically mesmerized.

Amitiel stared at Rin in confusion. Rin caught her stern gaze on her, he made a nervous smile but then a frown crossed her face and Amitiel looked away. Rin's smile drained away suddenly.

_Just... what is up with him?_ Amitiel thought in confusion. _There's nothing special about Moriyama-san_.

Apparently the angel didn't quite understand that humans are attracted to another by appearance.

"S-Shiemi! What happened to you?! Where's your Kimono!?" Rin shouted too loud. There was still a deep red blush crossing his face.

"I thought my Kimono was insufficient in exorcisms. Since I've become an Exwire I had the Director assign me a uniform!" Shiemi smiled with a deep pink blush. "Oh! And we were late because I had Kamiki-san show me how to wear it!" Shiemi added shyly.

"Like I had no choice..." Izumo scowled from aside.

The boys observed Shiemi: from her petite black shoes, to her voluminous legs and her thighs covered by her pink skirt, to her curvy bust with a bow over her chest, all the way up to her innocent green eyes and her silky platinum blonde hair. She had a small pink headband with a pink and white striped bowtie on the side. She fixed a strand of her hair and tucked it back behind her ear as she raised her shoulders up and blushed intensely. "S-So, um... d-does it look good on me?"

Shima immediately responded with a flirty whistle, "Woo! You sure look cute, Shiemi!"

"T-Thank you..." Shiemi blushed even more and looked away shyly.

Rin jumped off the platform of the Mephisto statue and whispered in Yukio's ear while he was reviewing the assignment in his binder. "Hey, is it just me or is her skirt too short?"

Yukio closed the folder and adjusted his glasses. "Why are you asking me?" Yukio responded sternly.

Rin whispered in a lower tone. "Bruh, I know you were checking Shiemi's boo—"

Yukio's folder hit him right on his face. Rin tensed up after he recovered and yelled, "that friggin' hurt, Four-Eyes!"

"Sorry, my hand slipped," Yukio responded calmly. He pushed up his glasses and announced, "all right, Exwires! Listen up!"

The students all became silent as they turned their attention to the two exorcists.

"Now that everyone's present, I'll be dividing you all into groups of two." Yukio flipped to a page in his binder.

"Miwa and Takara. Yamada and Suguro."

"What the hell?!" Ryuji raged and scowled at Yamada, the hooded figure.

"Kamiki and Shima."

Shima winked at Izumo and she threw him a nasty glare.

"Okumura and Moriyama."

"Oh! Were together, Rin!" Shiemi smiled gleefully.

Amitiel felt her eyebrows cringe together in a frown. To be honest, she wanted Shiemi to be the last person to be paired with Rin.

_She... can't protect anyone like I can._ Amitiel said to herself. In all honesty, ever since Rin was so supportive of her during her illness and saved her a few times, she felt obligated to protect him at all costs.

_I must watch over him at all times._

"Uh, you forgot about Tanaka-san, Okumura-sensei," Suguro said.

"Don't worry, Tanaka-san will be by herself," Yukio answered.

Amitiel was a little baffled. "Pardon?"

"I've gotten a private order from your father," Yukio said. "He also suggested you finish your "homework"."

_Homework? The mission?_ Amitiel thought, catching the implication in his message. Then she finally understood why she was paired alone: to give her the freedom to search the academy without the company of one of the students.

Raziel just saved her a lot of time. Time she mustn't waste.

"Alright, now that everyone is in pairs...mostly," Yukio said and cleared his throat. "We are here today at True Cross Academy's amusement park, Mephyland, to investigate the amusement park for any signs of a ghost."

The Exwires looked at each other eagerly.

Yukio continued, "there have been reports and eyewitnesses on the ghost in this amusement park, so the Order has recruited all Exwires to help us locate it."

After Yukio finished, Tsubaki stepped in and cleared his throat. "Now, can anyone define me what is a ghost? Kamiki."

"Yes," Izumo said. "Ghosts are demons ranging from low class to middle class. They possess material objects from living corpses and take on the form of the deceased individual in the form of electromagnetic vapour, or plasma. Their composure is influenced by the emotions of the deceased initially before death."

"Thank you, Kamiki-san," Tsubaki said.

"The reports indicate that it has appeared in more than one location, and has the appearance of a small boy," Yukio said. "The damage reports show that only minor assaults such as yanking on peoples' arms and legs and skirt-flipping are most common."

"S-Skirt-flipping?!" Rin yelped.

"Wow, sounds like an immature dead kid to me," Suguro added.

"If this persists, the ghost may evolve to become more dangerous." Yukio flipped the page. "Tsubaki-sensei and I want you to investigate the park and find any traces of the ghost. If you find it, please report to us on our cell-phones immediately. Any questions?"

Izumo raised her hand. "Are there any other physical aspects that can help us identify it?"

"You'll understand as soon as you find it. If you have no questions, then you're all dismissed!"

The students all scattered to their respective locations. Each received a map of the park prior to the explanations from the teachers. Izumo and Renzo made their way to the Haunted Manor while Konekomaru and the puppet guy went to investigate the tourist shops. Ryuji and Yamada went on stand-by around the roller coasters and Rin and Shiemi made their way to buildings lined up with game stands and restaurants, whoever, everything was empty and quiet.

When Amitiel was making her way to her assigned location, she felt a surge of aura skin the surface of her body. Her whole vessel froze to a stop and she closed her eyes, observing the wavelengths of the essence with her senses, allowing her to see a visual of what it looked like. She saw it pulse from the top of the roller-coaster, and then she saw the source. The hairs on her arms and at the back of her neck raised up and goosebumps formed on her arms. Her eyes widened when she read the aura and was able to identify exactly who it was.

It was the last thing she wanted.

"_Amaymon*..._"

* * *

"Rin! You look on the right side and I'll look on the left!" Shiemi said as her and Rin walked calmly through Mephyland's trail of small game shops and stands. Lights hung from around the buildings and ran across to the other side of the walkway to other buildings. The buildings were painted vibrant colours such as baby-blue, soft mint, and bubbly pink. The walkway was even concrete that was painted in a striped blue and green pattern. The only visitors in this area were Rin and Shiemi, and to be honest, Rin never felt so nervous in his life, because he was never alone with a girl before at an amusement park. The first time Rin was alone with a girl was when he discovered Hana was in the same dorm as him. He got a little tense and nervous around her during the first days they lived together, but now he had gotten so used to it it no longer felt awkward with her.

Shiemi was different. Compared to Hana, she was bubbly, friendly, and similar to him in a way, because it was their past mistakes that brought them together as friends. To be honest, Rin never had friends until he met her.

_Wait._ Rin stopped himself, realizing something from what he and Shiemi were doing. _This... This feels sorta like... like a date!_

Rin smiled sheepishly as Shiemi strolled in front of him. He couldn't help but stare at her blond strands dancing on the wind, landing delicately on her petite shoulders as she took light skips.

"Rin! What are you doing?!" Shiemi yelled suddenly and spun around to him.

"Huh?!" Rin gasped when he saw her face. It looked as if she was forcing herself not to laugh, which caused her face to turn beat red and her cheeks swelled up. "W-Whoa! Shiemi! What's with your face?! It's all ugly! Are you mad or somethin'?!"

In all honesty, Rin was feeling a little scared now. Did he do something wrong?

"I-I need to stop s-smiling all the time." Shiemi tried not to smile. "T-This is a serious mission and I-I need to look like I'm serious!"

Rin scratched his head when she turned back around and walked forward. This time she walked in a robotic manner; swinging her arms wide and taking big steps.

"Hey!" Rin called after her. "What's with you all of sudden?"

Rin followed Shiemi, unaware he was being followed as well. Up on the top of the buildings, Amitiel jumped atop the roofs, she was assigned to search anywhere that she felt was necessary, so she decided to observe the park from the rooftops. There she could see everything around her. She could even spot the other students around the park, which made it perfect for her to observe every corner of this park for the Son of Satan. She predicted he would make an appearance here. She was sure he would appear around the Exwires, but she wondered why. Is it because he has the intention of causing harm to exorcists who are in training? Or is it because he knows about her identity? Maybe he finally discovered her identity and wishes to face her. But until then, Amitiel will always be ready.

Or will she be really? Amitiel encountered the son of Satan, and she had the chance to finish her mission, but it failed. It was because ever since she met the Exwires, she felt obliged to protect them. Amitiel watched as Rin and Shiemi walked together. Amitiel felt a little pressured now that she must watch over the students while also leaving them to search around for the son of Satan. Is it really possible to both stay close to the students but also abandon them to search for the son of Satan?

Amitiel was now caught between decisions, and she never had the choice to make them. She thinks she could never make decisions... because she was never granted the will to do so.

For now, she must make the decision of watching over Rin and Shiemi before the son of Satan shows himself.

If Amaimon wouldn't interfere.

"Shiemi! Wait up!" Rin called again.

Shiemi stopped suddenly and she could no longer keep a serious face. She burst out in a bubbly smile and gazed in awe at the amazing structures of the rides, especially the Ferris wheel, that was what fascinated Shiemi the most.

"Hey, what's up with you?" Rin said.

Shiemi's smiled drained away as she looked over her shoulder, her blond strands and her bangs shielded a bit of her sheepish face. "I've... always dreamed of coming to an amusement park but... when I was little I couldn't because of the amount of people."

Rin looked at her with a bit of sadness.

"... I bet it's full of people on bright and sunny days..." Shiemi trailed away. "But..." She raised her chin up at the Ferris wheel. "This time, I think I can go..."

Rin looked around him and blushed, until he finally had the courage to speak up, "t-then... how about we go together when we're not on a mission?"

Shiemi twirled around, smiled, and responded, "okay!"

Rin's blushing intensified. "R-Really?! Y-Y-You sure?!"

"Yes, we should go for sure!"

Rin suddenly burst out laughing, merely out of nervousness. He tried to divert the awkwardness away by pulling out his map of the park and said, "a-alrighty then! Then how about you look over there!"

* * *

An hour had passed without a sign of the ghost nor the son of Satan.

"It's so quiet..." Amitiel said as she stood on top of the rooftops. She leaped over some buildings and scanned the area for the ghost. She used her senses to detect any possible energy sources that may belong to the ghost, but there was none. At least, not yet. Initially before she was dismissed, she felt the ghost's presence in the park, but it flickered and reappeared in a different area. That was what makes ghosts difficult to track for angels. Their souls seemed to wither away and then come back, perhaps it was some sort of mechanism they use to prevent other supernatural entities such as herself from tracking them down.

Amitiel felt a bit of energy reanimate to life near her location, and then she realized the ghost reappeared again. However, it wasn't near any of the students except her.

Amitiel pulled out one of her blades from its sheath and was about to fly towards the ghost when she felt a surge of aura hit her. She looked back just in time when a force drove her off the rooftops and sent her crashing down onto the concrete. Amitiel landed on her feet to break the fall and regained her strength and looked up at the rooftops. There stood Amaimon, with his bored, tired eyes onto her.

Amitiel's eyes darkened and she furrowed her eyebrows, "_Amaymon_."

"Oh, it's Tenshi**-san," Amaimon spoke and sucked on a small sucker.

"What are you doing here?" Amitiel clenched her teeth and brandished her blade. "This is not your territory, demon. Return to Gehenna, or shall I do that for you?"

"Hmm, big brother told me Tenshi-san would be here." Amaimon completely ignored her threat. "So before I played with little brother, I thought I should kill Tenshi-san before Tenshi-san interrupts my and little brother's playtime," Amaimon spoke, and the mentioning of the son of Satan piqued Amitiel.

"You..." Amitiel glared furiously. "Where is he?" She demanded.

"Tenshi-san shouldn't even be near little brother, perhaps I should kill you to please Father," Amaimon continued and sucked on his sucker.

"Not until you tell me where he is!" Amitiel yelled.

Amaimon caught what she was talking about. He looked at her blankly, moved his sucker to one side of his mouth and jumped off the rooftop. Amitiel gasped and rolled over to the side, dodging him just in time before he could've landed right on her.

"I'd like to challenge that," Amaimon said. "How about we play a game first?"

"What?" Amitiel said.

Amaimon touched his upper lip and thought on what kind of game to play. He clapped his hands together and replied, "oh, I know! Let's play a game called Hidden Onigokko***! I will be the Oni, you will try to hide! If I find you, then that means you're dead. If you can last 5 minutes, then I will tell you where little brother is. Try to stay alive, Tenshi-san! Well... Tenshi-san will probably die anyway..." Amaimon covered his eyes and said, "okay! Here I go! One...two...three..."

_What is his problem?_ Amitiel was frustrated. _He's... just as insane as the Devil himself._ Then she saw a chance to attack while he was counting to ten. She drove her foot in the ground, breaking it around her and she charged straight at him at an abnormal speed. She readied her blades and raised them above her in order to drive it into Amaimon. She brought the blade down towards Amaimon right when he shouted "ten!"

Amaimon seized her neck and grabbed it without opening his eyes. Amitiel froze and dropped her blades. His grip tightened around her neck and she wheezed. Amitiel grabbed his hand and tried to break herself free.

"I got you, Tenshi-san. That was way too easy. Did you even try?" Amaimon opened his eyes and taunted her.

Amitiel threw her foot up and smacked Amaimon from underneath the chin. She spun out of his grip and landed on her knee. She grabbed her blades and ran at him. She swung her blade and Amaimon ducked and swung his foot under her, tripping her, while Amitiel caught the back of his jacket and threw it over his face, blinding him. Amitiel landed face-first on the concrete and rolled over to regain her balance. She threw her blade at Amaimon and he dodged it while still blind-folded by his jacket over his face. The blade zipped by and lodged itself into a nearby wall. Amitiel charged again at Amaimon and he dodged her, then she jumped onto the wall while grabbing her blade and drove it at him. Amaimon blocked her attack with his black nails and he scratched her across the cheek. Amaimon pulled his jacket off his face and fixed the folds on it.

"You almost wrinkled my jacket, Tenshi-san."

Amitiel recoiled and her wound on her immediately closed up before it could bleed. Amaimon waited patiently when a bright light illuminated around Amitiel and a rush of energy hit him. Amaimon saw her charge straight at him but the light was so bright to the point he didn't even realize she drove her blade at him until she sliced his neck. Amaimon grit his teeth and punched her so hard she flew back and hit the wall, breaking through it. Amaimon wheezed loudly and Amitiel stood up from the rubble of bricks in the building. She stepped out and readied herself as Amaimon recovered. She was surprised to see the gash on his neck close up in a second. Amaimon wiped the blood off his neck, looked at it, then licked it off his fingers.

"I didn't expect Tenshi-san to be this fun! Let's take it up a notch, okay?"

Amitiel's eyes widened and a huge force hit her and sent her flying back into the building, this time completely through it. She landed outside the building again, with bricks and debris following her after she crashed through the next wall. Amitiel laid limp on the ground, and she spat out a puddle of blood. The angel threw herself up and she stood strong, despite she was bleeding on the face. She felt her injuries healing an instant and saw the king of earth emerge from the building, his hands had morphed into large, scaly green claws and blood tainted them. It was her blood.

Amitiel wiped the blood off her nose and lips and held her blade in front of her. Amitiel remained calm as she bolted towards Amaimon again. Amaimon balled up his claws and waited to lay the final blow. He threw his fist at her and she disappeared out of thin air and reappeared from behind him. She held her blade and drove it one last time onto Amaimon but he sensed her movements beforehand and spun around and punched her right into the ground. The ground around them shook a little, almost to the point Rin felt a small rumble.

A large crater formed around Amitiel and she could no longer move anymore. She felt the bones in her vessel shatter from Amaimon's powerful punch. Then she realized she was beaten. But she still had a slight amount of energy left to escape, to teleport herself away from him. Amitiel tried one more time to stand up but Amaimon pressed her down by weighing his powerful claw on top of her head. His claw slowly reformed into his original hand, which only had long black nails and human skin.

"Oh, so this is as far as Tenshi-san goes? I'm disappointed really. I wanted to kill Tenshi-san while Tenshi-san tried to put up a great fight. Oh well, I was bored anyways. Perhaps little brother will be more amusing to play with," Amaimon said.

"I don't have time for your silly games..." Amitiel growled. "Where is he?!"

Amaimon looked at her, with his sucker still in his mouth. Amaimon released her and said, "I won't answer that."

_He's... toying with me…!_

Amitiel reached out for him but he jumped into the air and back on the rooftops. She stood up, limping from her bones still reattaching and healing in her legs. Amitiel closed her eyes and rested on the ground. The sunlight shone on her bloodied face and the cool wind evaporated the sweat off her forehead. She looked to the side and saw one of her blades, she took it and sheathed it, while she took a moment to heal, then jumped back onto the rooftops to pursue Amaimon.

* * *

Rin stopped suddenly when he heard something. More like the innocent cry of a child.

Shiemi was confused when Rin said, "I hear a voice..."

"A voice? I don't hear any."

"Follow me, it's this way!" Rin charged in the direction of the voice and Shiemi followed in confusion.

"Rin?"

Rin and Shiemi stopped in front of a carousel. Rin looked around himself, trying to hear out for the voice's cries, but they suddenly stopped.

"I swear I heard something," Rin scratched his head.

Shiemi gasped when the carousel in front of them suddenly came on. The carousel spun slowly and the horse figures moved up and down, even though it was obvious there was no one nearby besides Rin and Shiemi that could turn it on. "Rin, what's going on?" Shiemi asked nervously. Rin shushed her and put his arm in front of her to protect her.

They watched nervously as the carousel spun around, until it slowed down.

"Here it comes," Rin spoke in a low tone.

Rin and Shiemi watched cautiously until the carousel stopped spinning. In front of them, sitting on one of the carousel's horses, was the ghost. The ghost did look like any normal little boy, except the lower part of his body was just wispy tail. It appeared as though the boy wore a blue onesie with star patterns on it before his death.

"Oh my gosh, Rin!" Shiemi gasped in surprise and amazement. "How... how did you know?"

Rin smiled nervously and came up with a realistic excuse to his demonic telepathy. "Um, I don't know! I just had this gut-feeling!"

"I see you've found it."

Rin and Shiemi looked behind them to find Amitiel. She looked banged up and there was some blood on her white shirt.

"Oh my god! What did you do!?" Rin cried out in surprise.

Amitiel closed her eyes and huffed. "I fell off a building."

Rin and Shiemi stood in shock until Rin burst out laughing. Shiemi looked at him in indignation. "Why are you laughing about that? Tanaka-san could've hurt herself!"

"Yah! But how did she end up doing that in the first place?!" Rin snorted loudly.

"It doesn't matter, I'm fine," Amitiel said and looked at the ghost, which had tears in its eyes and it whimpered.

Shiemi approached the ghost and spoke softly, "what's wrong, little boy? Why are you crying?"

"Hey! Don't talk to demons!" Rin shouted.

"But... he's such a little one..." Shiemi looked at him sadly.

The trio stared at the demon as he bawled, tears flowed down his cheeks and he wiped them off even though more came down.

Rin reached for his cell-phone and dialled Yukio's number. He put it against his ear and waited for his twin to pick up. As the ringing went on, Rin began to feel sympathy for the little boy, to the point he cancelled the call. Rin thought maybe he should calm the ghost down first, but he didn't really know exactly how.

"Hey! Quit that lame-ass crying already, will ya?!" Rin shouted, which scared the poor ghost, provoking him to cry even harder.

"You don't have to yell at him like that!" Shiemi exclaimed.

"Well, what the hell was I supposed to do?" Rin replied raising his hands up in confusion.

"Perhaps we should just exorcise it," Amitiel said. "It's a demon, after all."

The trio were startled when the ghost suddenly flew over and threw itself in Shiemi's arms. Amitiel held her blade in her hand but Rin stopped her.

"I-I... I was so sick for such a long time! And mommy and daddy p-promised me when I got better I could go to the amusement park..." The ghost cried as it buried its face in Shiemi's chest. "B-But then I d-died... so now I can't go anymore!"

Shiemi felt sympathy for the ghost and gently rubbed its head, comforting it. "Oh, you poor thing, that must have been so hard for you—"

The ghost suddenly formed a sadistic smile and threw its hands right up Shiemi's breasts. "UP YOURS, YA OLD BAG!"

Rin's eyes shot out of their sockets and Amitiel raised her blade and prepared to slash that demon, while Shiemi stood helpless and violated. The demon swooped away from the trio and laughed hysterically. "Haha, you're such an idiot!"

Rin's temper went on fire and he went in hot pursuit towards the demon. "WHAT THE HELL, YOU BRAT! I wanted to do that— WAIT!"

"Rin!" Shiemi and Amitiel called after him.

The girls followed Rin as he pursued the demon. However, they didn't need to know where he was since they could hear him scream like a lunatic from a mile away. Amitiel and Shiemi caught up to Rin, who was panting beside another golden statue of Mephisto Pheles. He put his hands on his knees to regain his breath. Despite Rin and Shiemi were panting, Amitiel wasn't.

"Goddammit, where did that piece of shit go?" Rin huffed angrily.

Shiemi regained her breath and pointed at another area. "Rin, Tanaka-san, I'll go check that area over there!"

Amitiel and Rin watched as Shiemi ran. When Rin regained his breath, he pulled out his phone and dialled Yukio's number again. "Whatever, I'll let Yukio deal with that pervert."

Amitiel's eyes widened when she saw the phone in Rin's hand and shouted, "no! wait! I got one, let me use mine!"

"What? This?" Rin looked at the phone.

"Yes, that! Um..." Amitiel searched her brain for what that thing was called.

Rin raised an eyebrow in confusion. "...You mean a cell-phone?"

"Yes! That!" Amitiel shouted.

"...um, okay." Rin backed away a little at the sudden excitement Hana suddenly got and cancelled the call.

Amitiel grabbed her phone out of the pocket on her shirt and dialled Yukio's number after many failed attempts. She mimicked what Rin did and held it against her ear. Rin immediately pulled it out of her hand, rotated it, and placed it back in her hand.

Amitiel said nothing and just stared at him blankly.

After a minute, Yukio still didn't pick up, and Rin felt a little frustrated about that. "Okay, dammit, Yukio! What's he taking so long?" Rin was also a little surprised his twin didn't pick up. Usually he always does seconds after it rings.

"Patience, Rin."

"Gimme that." Rin grabbed her phone out of her hand again.

Rin held the phone in his ear and then looked at her as if he was going to kill her.

"What? What is it?"

Rin showed Amitiel the phone screen and buttons. He moved his finger to the green "call" button and pressed it. The ringing finally sounded.

"...You forgot to press the call button, dumbass," Rin frowned.

Amitiel frowned back at him and ripped the phone out of his grip and pressed random buttons until she pressed the red "cancel" button. She breathed calmly and said, "my current understanding of human technology is... quite limited."

"Read the manual, please."

"I actually did. Twice."

"I guess there is someone in this world that's stupider than me!" Rin exclaimed.

"We all have faults in our knowledge, Rin," Amitiel spoke calmly. "Yours just happens to be everything."

Rin tried to prevent himself from bursting into blue flames. "Okay," Rin breathed deeply. "Tell you what, why don't you go help Shiemi while I take care of calling Yukio," Rin suggested. "You seem more skilled in tracking people then calling them."

Amitiel nodded obediently and ran towards where Shiemi was headed.

Rin pulled out his own phone and dialled Yukio's number again. He held it up against his ear and leaned his weight onto one side. Rin began to whistle when he felt something grab his sword and it slipped out of his arm.

Rin gasped and looked at the thief. It was Amaimon, who was crouching down on the top of the Mephisto statue behind Rin.

"Hey!" Rin screamed and cancelled the call on his phone. " Who the hell are you?! Give that back!"

Amaimon popped in another sucker in his mouth and swirled it onto one side of his cheeks. "Oh, me?" Amaimon pointed at himself. "I'm Amaimon, a demon king and fellow older brother of yours, pleased to meet you. Oh, by the way…" Amaimon waved the sword in front of him. "I'm not giving this back."

"What?"

Amaimon ignored Rin and focused on the sword in his hands. He unwrapped the red floral cover off the sword and tossed it at Rin, who caught it.

"Hmm," Amaimon studied the sword. "So this is Kurikara. I wonder what kind of mechanism this works on."

"Wait!" Rin's heart palpitated when the demon king grabbed the sheath and the hilt and pulled them apart, but only halfway to reveal only a few inches of the blade. The blade glowed blue until flames licked its surface.

"STOP IT!" Rin screamed and blue flames suddenly engulfed him. His demonic traits such as his elongated ears came back.

* * *

"Where is she?" Amitiel asked herself. "Moriyama-san!"

Amitiel could hear Shiemi a distance away, she read Shiemi's soul to help her track her down. Amitiel passed by many rides, but there was no sign of Shiemi or the ghost. Amitiel jogged forward to catch up with Shiemi before the ghost causes any more trouble. She hoped the ghost wouldn't go too far and eventually put Shiemi at risk.

Amitiel finally had her eyes on Shiemi, who was running towards a ride of bumper cars that spin and revolve on a platform. The ghost was flying away and Shiemi continued to chase it.

Amitiel ran after them when a very powerful aura rushed past her. Amitiel's pupils shrunk and she whipped her head back towards the source. She knew it very well.

_He's here._

Amitiel took a step towards the Son of Satan but stopped herself and looked back at Shiemi, who was chasing the ghost through the immobile bumper cars. Amitiel grit her teeth and looked ahead to where the Son of Satan could be sensed. She looked back at Shiemi one last time, then made her decision and charged towards the Son of Satan. She gripped her blade with determination as she chased after Satan's son's aura.

* * *

The blue flames continued to lick around Rin's body, without burning him. His eyes widened and he shouted in fear, "STOP IT!"

Amaimon repeatedly sheathed and unsheathed the sword, observing how Rin's flames disappeared and reappeared. Rin's demonic traits such as his ears elongated then shortened as Amaimon played around with the sword.

"Cut it out, dammit!" Rin roared.

"Hmm, I see. So this sheath acts as the gate to Gehenna, while the sword acts as the entrance. Unsheathing it opens the entrance, and sheathing it closes it. This is interesting."

Rin grit his teeth in pure anger and he continued to scowl at Amaimon. Rin wanted to throw his fist across his face, but since Amaimon had his sword, he was at a disadvantage.

And something was telling Rin this demon above him may just kill him with a snap of his fingers.

"These flames of yours exist in Gehenna, yet your body is still in Assiah. So this thing is what allows your flames to come into Assiah, correct? Interesting."

"Give it back before I knock you out with it!" Rin screamed.

Amaimon looked at him blankly, catching the insult. Amaimon grabbed the hilt and the sheath and pulled them apart all the way. "How's this then?"

Rin felt his tail unfurl from around his body and it shot out, the tip was on blue fire and it burned violently. Rin's flaming blue horns hovered over his upper-forehead and Rin's eyes slit to a blood red.

"You… give it back NOW!" Rin pounced up and drove his foot down towards Amaimon, he dodged in time and Rin knocked down the statue's head. It fell several feet down and crashed into the coloured concrete. Amaimon somersaulted in the air and landed on the green metal structure of the park's roller coaster, with the sword still in his hand.

"Oh no! Big brother's head!" Amaimon said without meaning.

"You bastard! What the hell do you want from me?!" Rin inquired forcefully.

"What do I want?" Amaimon repeated, as if clueless. "I had some spare time so I wanted to play with you!"

"What?" Rin was confused. "How is this playing?!"

Again, Amaimon ignored him. "Oh, I also studied a bit on human games! But first, let's set up the battlefield, shall we?"

Amaimon snapped his fingers and suddenly the lights of the roller-coaster flickered on and the sign "Go to Hell" lit ut in bright white light. All throughout the park, the rides suddenly turned on. The Ferris wheel spun slowly as well as the carousel. The machines disguised as monsters came to life in the haunted manor Izumo and Shima were searching in, which provoked Shima to scream and jump into Izumo's arms (she dropped him immediately).

Amitiel, Suguro, Konekomaru, and the others all stopped and stared around them, perplexed that the rides suddenly came to life.

Yukio looked around him with a confused frown as the rides were in full function. He received a call from Tsubaki and answered it.

"Okumura-sensei, did you turn on the power?" Tsubaki asked.

"No, I didn't. Is there any suspicious activity over there?" Yukio replied.

Shiemi was still chasing the ghost across the platform with the bumper cars when they suddenly moved around without control. Shiemi screamed when one was chasing her and she bumped into another and fell into the seat. She screamed as she tried to regain control of the spinning car, while the ghost hovered around her, laughing and sticking its tongue at her. Shiemi gasped when a car was speeding straight towards hers. She relied on her instincts and turned the wheel completely to the right. The car responded by spinning to the right and then crashed into the metal railing. Shiemi immediately jumped out of the car back onto the park's concrete flooring just in time before the cars crashed into hers from all directions.

Shiemi laid on the ground, wheezing and sighing in relief. She stood back up again and heard the ghost's childish laugh. She huffed and pursued the ghost again.

Rin had a devilish, toothy grin on his face and he said, "guess you've got some style, huh?"

Rin's grin was wiped off his face when Amaimon suddenly provoked him by clapping his hands and shaking his rear-end at Rin. "Oni, Oni, Oni-san! Towards the sound of clapping!" Amaimon chanted.

"You bastard—" Rin growled. "—Don't underestimate me!" Rin charged at Amaimon and jumped off the statue. Rin was about to lay a punch across the demon's face but Amaimon used his fist to pound Rin straight to the ground.

Rin screamed and hit the ground—hard. Amaimon jumped off the metal structure and landed beside Rin. Rin wheezed on all fours until he managed to throw another punch at Amaimon. Amaimon caught it with his palm, twisting Rin's fist, forcing Rin to the ground in pain, and falling on his knees. Rin screeched when Amaimon twisted his whole arm the wrong way and he was forced to surrender.

"Argh! Let me go, dammit!" Rin roared.

Amaimon bent his arm further. Rin screamed in agony.

"Do me a favour and stay still. I just want to observe you in your natural form. That is all."

"Stop...screwing with me!"

Rin used his other arm to swat Amaimon's hand away. He broke free from the demon king's grip and reached for the sword in Amaimon's hand. But Amaimon seized his hand again and squeezed it in his fist, shattering the bones in it.

"Stop!" Rin screamed painfully and tears formed in his eyes. Rin found the opportunity to lay one final blow to Amaimon with his other fist. He threw it at his face but Amaimon rolled back onto Rin and landed behind him, pinning him to the ground by throwing his foot onto Rin's head.

Rin went down face-first and tried to stand back up, but it was no use.

"Older brother didn't warn me about your stupidity. What don't you understand by "stay still?"" Amaimon said as he looked down on Rin.

Rin clenched his fists beside his face and growled, "g-get the hell off me, you freak."

Rin yelped when Amaimon plunged the flaming sword right beside Rin's head, driving it into the concrete. Rin saw his own reflection in the shiny, smooth metal, with the flames licking the surface of the metal, as well as himself. His eyes widened as he observed how… demonic he looked.

"Tell me, how does it feel to have this... enormous power, hmm? How can a puny, weak human like you inherit power that even the most powerful of kings could not have?" Amaimon inquired, this time his tone was more vicious than before.

Rin made a toothy grimace and said, "guess I'm just the lucky one, huh?"

"I can see potential in you. I feel as if you can wield this power considerably well. Now let's test that theory, shall we?" Amaimon released Rin and jumped away from him.

"Now let's play! I'm starting to get bored!" Amaimon whined and continued clapping his hands and shaking his butt at Rin.

"How about...YOU GIVE THAT BACK!" Rin charged towards him and Amaimon spun out of the way. He taunted Rin by waving the sword at him.

"Try again!"

"You bastard. I ain't gonna play some stupid game! Just give me my damn sword back!" Rin shouted impatiently.

"C'mon! Show me what you've got! You're already way more fun than Tenshi-san!" Amaimon laughed and jogged away from Rin, forcing him to chase him.

"Son of a—Quit screwing around!" Rin screamed at him.

While he chased him, a question popped in his head.

_Who's Tenshi-san?_

* * *

**A/N:**

***Another name for Amaimon**

****Japanese for angel (****天使****)**

*****I noticed both Shiemi and Rin played Onigokko, which is like a game of tag, but there is a variation to that game and it is called Hidden Onigokko, which is tag with a mix of hide-and-seek, of course, Amitiel's a retard for underestimating Amaimon, and just attacks him head-on instead of running for her life lol**

**I was supposed to finish this game of tag thing in one chapter but it got too long lol, so part 1 it is! ALSO, I DID HAVE TIME TO FINISH IT(DESPITE EXAMS ARE COMING) YAYYYYY :D:D:D**

**P.S: CRAZYDUTCHY YOU ARE MY SAVIOUR! They noticed a plothole in my story so I quickly fixed that. It's basically when the Naberius noticed Amitiel was an angel and Kuro didn't (which is weird because Kuro is more powerful than the Naberius) but I fixed it in the previous chapter with the naberius in the bathroom.**

**If there's anything else awkward let me know plz!**


	19. Chapter 18: Choice: Part 2

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 18: Choice: Part 2**_

* * *

**"Hey! Stop it!" Shiemi shouted and panted and she continued to pursue the ghost, who was only laughing and smiling as if what they were doing was a game.**

"This isn't a game of tag! Please!" Shiemi insisted. "Please stop!"

The ghost shot a devilish grin. "He he! It _is _a game of tag, ya doorknob! Catch me if you can, Oni-san!" The ghost swooshed over to the right and turned down another alleyway of the amusement park. Shiemi was so confused at this point. To be honest, she didn't feel any hatred or so because even if it was a demon, she could never get mad at the ghost, not after what she heard from him about his sad story before death. She just thought he was confused.

Shiemi sprinted after the ghost, ignoring he fact that she was almost out of energy. She and the ghost passed through a series of water-based games. Shiemi was approaching the ghost as it seemed to slow down, then Shiemi became suspicious.

_He's slowing down?_ She asked herself.

By the time she could even reach him, it was already too late.

Shiemi screamed helplessly when the water machine guns on the tabletops of the games suddenly spun around and sprayed Shiemi down with ice-cold water. The lights and alarming sounds coming from the games played on in a messy orchestra. She covered her face with her hands and fell on her knees as the water hosed her down. Her ears hurt from the booming sounds of the games around her.

"Ha ha! You can't even get past my water guns? You're so lame!" The ghost taunted her by laughing hysterically.

"Please! Stop it!" Shiemi pleaded as she got sprayed.

The ghost continued to laugh and swooped around in a circle and flew farther away. The guns suddenly stopped spraying water and Shiemi was able to open her eyes and look ahead of her. She stood up, soaked and shaking. Luckily it was a hot day out and the heat warmed Shiemi up, but her clothes remained soaked and the fabric clung to her wet skin. Shiemi stepped forward but was bothered by her skirt, which was sticking to her legs, making it more difficult for her to run.

The ghost was ahead of her, making funny faces and even slapped it's own dead butt to taunt her.

_What's with him?_ Shiemi asked herself, even though she won't get an answer. _Does he... really just want to have fun?_

Shiemi's mouth opened when she finally caught what the ghost was doing, and then she was able to connect that to herself.

_I've always wanted to come to an amusement park to play but... I couldn't because it was always full of people._

_I've always wanted to come with mommy and daddy... but since I died, I couldn't._

_He's..._ Shiemi thought. _He's really just like me_. Shiemi looked at the ghost in sympathy. It all made sense. All the ghost really wanted was to play like he always wanted to do.

_If he really wants to play like I do, then..._

"I see," Shiemi smiled. "You want to play a game? Let's play!" Shiemi shouted confidently and charged forward. As soon as the ghost heard what she said, it laughed and flew faster.

"WAIT!" Shiemi shouted.

* * *

"WAIT!" Rin screamed. He didn't realize it until now that he was currently on the tracks of the roller coaster. It started when he chased Amaimon around like a cat chasing the mouse, except it seems the mouse is much cleverer then the cat at this moment. The cat was only a crazed monster on fire trying to kill a green-haired lunatic dressed in Gothic attire. Right now, Amaimon had the advantage, since the beginning when he snatched Rin's sword.

Rin was hopeless at this point. Amaimon was too fast for him to even catch up. Unlike Rin, Amaimon was very resourceful to the point he used the buildings around him instead of just running on the pavement. He did everything he could to provoke Rin. He and the flaming beast ran through arcade rooms and candy shops, where Amaimon stole a lollipop from a counter while running through the shop. No matter Rin could do, he was out of luck in hopes of stopping Amaimon, and he was unaware that his luck was just going to get even more unlucky.

Amaimon stopped at the top of the coaster's peak, which dipped down at almost 90 degrees straight where Rin was, who was already half-way up the hill. Amaimon crouched down on the tip of his feet and placed the sword's blade across his shoulders. "Come to think about it," Amaimon spoke suddenly. "I went to the beach this morning."

Rin stopped chasing him up the hill and thought, _what is he talking about now?_

Then Rin realized why.

Amaimon jumped up and landed right onto the nose of the pink coaster, which was painted with sharp teeth and monstrous eyes and bat-like wings spread out beside the front car. No wonder the coaster was named the "Highway to Hell".

At this point, Rin was about to lose his life in a flash.

_Holy shit!_ Rin's eyes widened in utter shock as Amaimon came swooping down the hill, free-falling down the tracks towards Rin. Despite the coaster was moving hundreds of kilometres per hour, Amaimon still managed to stay on his feet as he shouted hysterically, "surfing is fun!"

_Damn it!_ Rin grit his teeth and had no choice but to jump off the tracks before he could get hit. Rin pounced up and managed to avoid getting hit by the cars. They zipped by Rin from below and he breathed in relief, that was until Amaimon jumped up from the coaster and came face-to-face with the demon boy in the middle of the air. Rin choked on his own spit.

"Hey. I also forgot to show you a magic trick," Amaimon spoke without excitement or even emotion. He flicked Rin in the forehead and Rin was sent crashing down into the tracks. He broke through the metal pipes with an agonizing scream. When Rin hit the bars, the rest of the coaster buckled near him. The bolts and screws holding the structure together popped off from too much pressure and metal screeched when the structure began to collapse.

* * *

Everyone saw the wreckage being done at the roller-coaster, even from across the park. Everyone except Suguro and Yamada. The two had finished looking around their destination and found nothing. Suguro insisted they looked around again but Yamada responded by pulling out their PSP and began playing a game—with the volume at max. Suguro was flabbergasted and yelled at Yamada until he gave up.

"Would it really kill you to look again?!" Ryuji shouted angrily, but Yamada completely ignored him.

"Yay. I got a Dragon's Claw. Upgrade," Yamada spoke monotonously. Suguro crossed his arms in indignation and frowned. It seems Yamada was the only person in this world that was never bothered by Suguro's temper, to be honest, they were quite the opposite. Suguro was always the hotheaded teenage boy while this Yamada kid slacked around as if nothing could ever go wrong around them. Another thing that pissed Ryuji off about Yamada is why the hell in this blazing heat did this kid wear a thick black sweater and pants, with their hood drawn over their head?

_What the hell is wrong with this kid? I'm starting to hate him more than Okumura!_ Suguro yelled in his head. Suguro was interrupted when he found himself wiping the sweat off his forehead. He looked up at the bright sun in the sky and shielded his eyes by covering them with his arm. Ryuji thought maybe he should just calm down and take a break before searching around again, however it was impossible for him to get his peace and quiet with the punching noises and screams coming from Yamada's game.

"Can you at least turn that damn thing down?" Ryuji shouted suddenly.

Yamada continued playing for a moment before they stopped. They felt some sort of vibration coming from the roller-coaster's pole they leaned against. Ryuji was relieved when they suddenly stopped, that was until Yamada suddenly shut off their game, stuffed it in their pocket, turned around and suddenly started climbing the roller-coaster. Ryuji dropped his jaw in utter shock and yelled, "what the hell are you _doing_?!"

Ryuji wanted to punch himself when he started climbing the red structure as well. "Hey, wait up!" Ryuji yelled.

_Is this seriously his idea of searching?_ Ryuji frowned.

By the time Ryuji caught up to Yamada, who was already halfway up, Ryuji looked around himself, until his eyes laid on the suspicious smoke and dust gathering up on part of the roller coaster. The tracks and structure around the dust were also completely destroyed. Yamada clung onto the red metal with their hand while Ryuji hugged it with all his might. He admitted to himself he never really liked heights.

"Whoa! What's going on over there?" Ryuji's eyes widened in shock at the sight. "Did that puny ghost really cause all this?"

Ryuji screamed when the roller coaster came rushing down from the peak of the structure and down the hill. He watched as the coaster approached the large gap of the missing track and flew off, diving down to the ground. Silence followed for a few seconds until there was a huge fiery explosion and smoke bulged out and rose up into the sky. Ryuji was speechless at the damage, then was even more speechless when Yamada suddenly hopped off the metal railing and landed onto a nearby roof. They rolled over and landed on their feet. Ryuji screamed at Yamada to come back when he realized that kid was heading straight to the explosion.

* * *

Amitiel landed hard on the top of one of the rooftops when she heard metal scream far ahead of her, followed by a huge explosion. Amitiel gasped when the explosion caused a small shock wave and the earth shook a little. She observed as the roller coaster began to crumble apart at a particular spot, where smoke and dust clouded the area. But there was one thing she could clearly see—or sense. It was the son of Satan, and he's currently battling Amaimon.

_It... only took two demons to make this much damage..._ Amitiel said to herself. She couldn't imagine how many casualties there could be if this happened when the park was open and tons of adults and children were around.

Amitiel strongly urged herself to chase after the son of Satan, before it's too late. Before someone gets hurt. Before Amaimon kills the son of Satan. Amitiel cringed at the thought Amaimon could possibly kill his own brother. She knew Satan would bring upon the Apocalypse on Amaimon if he killed his one and only son that inherited his flames. But if Amaimon really was that insane in killing him...

_He's mine._ Amitiel frowned viciously, grasping her blades in her hands as she hopped over many rooftops at an abnormal speed. If Amaimon killed the son of Satan, then why the hell did she come here in the first place?

This is her mission, not Amaimon's. And if he did kill him, she'll kill him too.

* * *

Despite the fact Rin and Amaimon were falling hundreds of meters in the air, Rin made no noise. In fact, it seemed time slowed down for him, perhaps because he knew at this point Amaimon's going to kill him.

_What the—_Rin thought as he felt nothing but the air around him. He could see Amaimon fall with him, but for some reason Rin could only just watch.

Rin's eyes widened and Amaimon landed on Rin's stomach, driving his knee right in his chest. Rin wheezed in pain and choked. Amaimon grabbed Rin's collar and repeatedly punched him without stopping. Blood and bruises formed around Rin's face, yet he didn't have the energy to fight back anymore. The two free-falled as Amaimon spoke while continuing to punch Rin in the face, "I don't get it."

Rin gasped and wheezed in pain as Amaimon beat him to a pulp. "I don't understand why older Brother and Father are so obsessed with something like this." Amaimon punched him right in the face and blood splattered over Amaimon's cheek.

Amaimon drew back his fist and laid one more punch which sent Rin diving down to the ground. He crashed down, breaking the earth around him and formed a large crater. Despite that could have broken all his bones, Rin's demonic abilities made his bones more resilient to so much force. Rin didn't have time to recover when Amaimon plunged his knees straight into Rin's stomach, shooting out a large amount of spit and blood from Rin's mouth as he gasped, even though he barely had any air left in his lungs.

Meanwhile, Shiemi was caught in the middles of tag with the devilish ghost. She had chased him into an inflatable Mephisto bouncy castle, which was loaded with millions of coloured plastic balls. There was also a second floor, which was basically a net. The ghost bounced around the inflatable structure, shouting "Oni, Oni-san! Catch me if you can!"

Amaimon still showed no sign of stopping as he punched Rin in the face, showing no mercy.

Rin's body jerked and tensed, and his hands spasmed with every punch until Amaimon finally stopped. Rin's face was a bloody mess to the point Amaimon couldn't even see it any more.

Amaimon withdrew his fist and said, "oh, I am disappointed. I came all this way hoping you'd kill my boredom—"

Amaimon was suddenly interrupted when Rin threw his hand up and grabbed Amaimon in the face, his hand was latched onto his mouth, cutting him off. Amaimon's eyes widened when Rin's flames suddenly grew brighter and violent and he let out a demonic roar. Rin hurled Amaimon into the air and he landed right on his back. When the dust cleared up, Rin stood with two large green metal bars in his clawed hands. He launched one straight at Amaimon and he dodged it in time. Rin threw the other one with a roar and Amaimon dodged that one too. Before Amaimon could recover his balance Rin suddenly sprinted into him, throwing himself at him. They rolled on the ground until Rin landed on top and grabbed the demon king's neck with his claws. Rin growled and roared in anger. He saw the sword in Amaimon's hand and grabbed it. Amaimon and Rin both had their claws wrapped around the sword. Rin pulled with all his might until Amaimon suckered Rin by releasing the sword, and Rin pulled the sword towards his own face. The hilt smacked so hard against his nose, Rin tasted hot, metallic red fluid trickling out of his nose and in his throat.

Amaimon kicked him off while he was in a daze and ripped the sword out of Rin's hands. Rin screamed and slashed at Amaimon with his claws. Amaimon held his hands and sword together behind his back while he only moved himself left and right, under and over, swiftly dodging each of Rin's attacks. Rin slashed one more time and Amaimon head butted him, pushing him several meters back. Rin drove his long nails into the ground and stopped himself. He stood up, throwing his head back as he let out a terrifying demonic roar. Despite Amaimon didn't feel threatened, he only felt a surge of adrenaline rush through his veins as excitement took over his sanity. "Hya ha ha! Now were playing!" Amaimon laughed hysterically.

Rin charged at Amaimon and crashed into him, forcing him against a wall and breaking through the building. Rin punched and clawed at Amaimon until he was able to seize his neck and dragged him to the ground. Rin squeezed harder and harder on Amaimon's neck even though Amaimon didn't seem bothered by it. Rin howled and bared his sharp teeth at Amaimon.

Amaimon smiled when he shouted, "now _that's_ more like it!" Amaimon raised his fist up and smashed the ground, cracking the earth around him to the point large, jagged holes crawled quickly around the amusement park, provoking an earthquake. The Exwires screamed in a panic, while Amitiel fell down on the rooftops when she lost her balance. She looked ahead at the smoke building up by the roller-coaster. The son of Satan felt so close, or was it because his power seemed to have grown stronger? Amitiel felt a rush of adrenaline in her veins as she continued to run forward. His aura felt so raw and powerful, and there was a small voice in her head convincing her to turn back. But she ignored it entirely.

She must finish him.

The earthquake caused the roller coaster's structure to fall apart. Bits of metal and debris flew off and scattered around, falling onto buildings and the streets. A few also landed right into the bouncy castle Shiemi and the ghost were currently in. Shiemi popped out of the pool of balls, with the ghost in her arms.

"That was fun! Ha ha!" The ghost laughed. However, Shiemi saw the metal rails slowly drive into the inflatable buildings' nylon structure, puncturing it.

Shiemi gasped and shouted, "p-playtime is over for today! Let's get out of here!" Shiemi swam through the pool of balls until the metal pieces completely fell through.

Rin took another menacing step towards Amaimon when he heard a terrified scream. Rin spun around and saw Shiemi, who tripped out of the bouncy castle, which was quickly deflating over. At the same time, more pieces of metal from the coaster continued to shower down on Shiemi.

Amitiel was able to arrive just in time. She saw the figure in blue flames and her heart raced. She readied her blades and was about to charge at him when she heard screams. She looked aside and saw Shiemi. She gasped when pieces of metal hit the ground near her, threatening to kill her.

"Nii-chan! Help me!" Shiemi screamed with all her might, holding the ghost in her arms tightly. Nii emerged from Shiemi's magic paper and it formed branches over her to protect her.

"Shiemi?" Rin said, recognizing her. He analysed her situation and suddenly his heart dropped as she screamed in desperation. "Shiemi!" Rin charged towards her as fast as his feet could take. But for some reason time slowed down to him. He saw Shiemi, and the deflating castle coming down on her, but he felt so far away, in fact, it only felt he was getting farther away.

_Dammit! Run, you bastard!_ Rin screamed in his head.

Amitiel gasped when she saw the blue flames run towards Shiemi. Amitiel's eyes widened and she gripped her blades so tight to the point she cut off the circulation in her hands. She looked between the son of Satan and Shiemi, but her mind was racing to the point she just couldn't do anything but watch.

_What are you doing?! Kill him!_

Amitiel watched Shiemi and the son of Satan, but no matter how much she screamed at herself to kill the son of Satan, a part of her held her back, and diverted her attention towards Shiemi. Her eyes moved left and right so fast she became dizzy and she was panting hard. Amitiel grit her teeth so hard and she became stressed. She exchanged quick glances between Shiemi and the son of Satan, and each passing second only made her even more unsure.

At this point, Amitiel didn't think any more.

Rin's heart felt like it fell hundreds of storeys when he realized something horrible as he ran with all his power._ I'm... I'm not gonna make it in time!_

Rin roared and threw his hand out, shooting out blue flames straight at Shiemi. Amitiel stood paralysed in shock as the flames travelled through space towards Shiemi, who was helplessly hugging the child in her arms as tears formed at the corner of her eyes.

Amitiel felt her heart stop and her eyes widened. She disappeared from the rooftops and zipped down towards Shiemi at the speed of light. Shiemi gasped when she felt something hug her tight. Amitiel closed her eyes tight as light enveloped the two girls and a pair of glowing, white, ethereal wings appeared out of thin air and hovered over Shiemi and Amitiel. Shiemi opened her eyes and saw Amitiel, her eyes were shut but Shiemi could only see bright light around them. It felt warm and suddenly a sense of peace touched Shiemi.

_Tanaka... san?_

Shiemi was startled when Amitiel suddenly screamed as the blue flames shot over the two girls, burning away the deflating castle and pushing away the metal debris with incredible force.

_Shiemi!_ Rin screamed desperately in his head when he realized what he had done. Rin threw himself back, stopping the flames from shooting out of his hand and he fell back onto the ground. Rin could barely open his eyes after using his powers at such an extent. His body felt weak and out of energy. He could only see the faint image of a bright, white light shining where Shiemi was. The faint image of Amitiel emerged from the light and he saw the light radiating off of her. Rin used all his might to raise his hand up and reach out for the bright light, but then he passed out.

* * *

After a moment of silence, Amitiel felt nothing above her and quickly hid her bright wings. They disappeared in thin air, and the bright light surrounding the girls disappeared. Amitiel looked down at Shiemi, who was huddled in Amitiel's arms. The two looked up in confusion and saw nothing but the blue sky.

"Huh?" Shiemi said.

"You're okay now, Moriyama-san," Amitiel said as she helped her sit up. The branches that surrounded Shiemi recoiled back into Nii-chan and it landed onto the ground.

"Tanaka-san..." Shiemi said, then her lips suddenly quivered and she hugged Amitiel with all her might. "T...T-Thank you!"

Amitiel didn't know how to react, she assumed she might as well wrap her arms around her too as Shiemi sniffled in her bloodied shirt.

_I... let him get away again._ Amitiel said as she hugged Shiemi. An emotionless stare crossed the angel's face.

Then she frowned When she felt a pulse of aura come to life nearby._ No, he's still here._

The ghost in Shiemi's arms swooped out of them and hovered over them, flying in circles. "That was so much fun!" The ghost laughed.

"What are you talking about? We almost died!" Shiemi shouted.

"So?" The ghost rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out. "I'm already dead!"

Shiemi quieted down when the ghost had a point. "Yah, but still..."

"I never had the chance to have fun since I died, and mommy and daddy always grounded me for trying to go outside and play!" The ghost said. "I stayed around hoping someone could pick me up and play with me!"

Shiemi and Amitiel remained silent as the ghost swooped down in front of them and said, "so I had lotsa fun today!"

Shiemi still remained silent when the ghost made a friendly grin, "thank you, onee-san!"

And with that, the ghost disappeared.

"Oh?" Shiemi said. "What just happened?"

"It seems he's finally moved on," Amitiel said as she looked up at the sky. She no longer felt the ghost's essence. "You fulfilled his wishes, Moriyama-san."

Shiemi also looked up at the clear blue sky and a sense of peace came upon her. "I see," she whispered.

* * *

Rin was still lying on the ground when his eyes suddenly shot open and he bolted up from the ground. He gasped and tried to stand up but he only fell back down on his hands and knees, panting hard as blood trickled from his beat up lips. He was gasping so hard he felt his chest burning. He was on all hands and feet when Amaimon drove his foot in his back, pushing him into the ground.

"Is that seriously all you've got?" Amaimon said with a bored stare.

Rin looked at him with his exhausted eyes, which told Amaimon everything.

Amaimon felt disappointed as he said, "how boring..."

Amaimon looked at the flaming sword in his hands and said, "older brother told me not to do this, but maybe I should just break this."

"_Son of a—_!" Rin yelled as he attempted to stand up but he fell back down.

"_Devour the eight princesses..._"

Rin and Amaimon stopped and looked for the source of the voice. It came from Yamada, who was standing on top of a Mephisto statue. After they chanted, they pulled their hoodie down from over their chest and a sword emerged from a mysterious tattoo on their chest. Yamada jumped off the statue as they chanted, "_sever the serpent!_"

Their sword collided with Rin's sword in Amaimon's hands and Amaimon was pushed back. They landed behind Rin and Yamada grabbed Rin by the collar and dragged him behind them. Yamada stood up and positioned their sword at Amaimon.

"Who are you?" Amaimon said.

"Someone that's gonna kick yer ass in a second, that's what." Yamada pointed their sword at Amaimon. "You're Amaimon, king of Earth, right? How'd a _big-shot_ like you sneak into the Academy? With Mephisto's help, perhaps?"

Rin looked up at Yamada while he was still on the ground. It was only now that Yamada had spoken in front of him. And judging by their voice, it sounded... feminine.

Yamada turned their head to Rin and said, "hide that tail of yers before someone comes. I'll handle this bastard."

Rin caught what they said and stuffed his tail in his pants. He was in silent shock that Yamada didn't react to him having a tail, or to the fact that he was literally on _fire_.

"You're in my way," Amaimon frowned derisively at Yamada.

Yamada formed the Katana stance and replied, "yer in _my_ way."

Amaimon remained silent as he observed Yamada and Rin, who was panting. There were cuts and bruises all over his face. Amaimon tapped the sword on his shoulder and thought. He then realized at this point, he was outnumbered.

Amaimon shrugged his shoulders and said, "y'know what? I change my mind." He sheathed the sword and tossed it at Rin. It landed right in front of him. "Perhaps another time, huh?"

Amaimon was about to jump away when someone laid a hard kick right at his face. Amaimon was hurled back and he landed hard on the ground. He looked back and saw Amitiel standing between him and Rin.

"Oni, your it," Amitiel said.

"Hana?" Rin squeaked. "_Hana!_"

"What the hell?" Yamada said, confused. "Where did she come from?"

When Amaimon saw Amitiel, a grin spread across his face, "Hey! It's Tenshi-san!"

Amitiel went into ready position by holding her blades in front her and said, "get away from them."

"Oh, why are you so worried about them, hmm?" Amaimon said.

"Stop messing with me..." Amitiel growled. "Stay away from Rin."

Amaimon pondered on something, "why are you so attached to him?"

Amitiel closed her eyes and breathed out. "Because...Because I am watching over Rin Okumura, because he's my friend." Amitiel opened her eyes and a thought spread through her mind. She grasped her blade and she felt a spark on enlightenment in her heart. It wasn't until now that she realized she vowed to protect Rin as an angel, but also as a loyal friend.

"H-Hana..." Rin whispered, and a warm feeling glowed in his heart. He finally heard something about him that he had waited for a long time. He... was just called a friend. Then suddenly a dark cloud surrounded his glow and destroyed it. He looked down as thoughts flooded in him, thoughts of when he didn't call Shiemi his friend right in front of Suguro and the others.

Thoughts of how wrong Hana was about him being a "good" friend.

Amitiel frowned derisively at the demon king of Earth. "... Anything that will be a threat to my friends must perish!" Amitiel yelled and threatened him by taking one step closer. "If you want, I will fight you so long as my soul can take!"

Amaimon analysed his current situation and confirmed he was definitely outnumbered.

"Alright, I'll give you the victory for now," Amaimon raise his hands up in surrender, then changed courses and shouted, "seeya!"

Amaimon jumped away, provoking Yamada as they yelled, "hey! Get back here, ya coward!" Yamada jumped after Amaimon, leaving Rin and Amitiel alone with each other.

Amitiel looked down at Rin. She was about to say something but saw Rin submerged in his own thoughts. He wrapped himself in his arms and held them tightly. His head was bowed down, and his layers of dark blue hair covered his bloody face. He was on the ground on his knees and Amitiel saw he was tensed up and shaking. Perhaps he was in shock.

Judging by his appearance, how did he end up like this? Did he seriously try to fight with Amaimon?

Amitiel gasped when she looked around herself. Amitiel stopped and stared blankly in confusion at her surroundings. She had just realized the son of Satan was gone... Again.

_H-How...? He was right here!_ Amitiel said to herself. _It's impossible. He couldn't have just... Disappeared!_

Amitiel was baffled at this point. But all she needed to worry about right now was Rin.

"Rin," Amitiel called his name. But no response.

Rin's distraught blue eyes were glued to the ground. Thoughts were flooding his mind as he spoke to himself.

_I'm... Such an idiot..._ Rin looked at his own hands, which were covered in his blood.

_I let a powerful guy like him steal my sword so easily..._ Rin panted and his heart hurt.

_A-and then... I-I just completely lost it for a second..._

Flashbacks of Rin's usual fights when he was child haunted his head. He didn't realize until now how much of a monster he really acted.

_This is... Just like before!_ Rin hugged himself tight as fear coursed through his soul.

"Rin!" Amitiel turned around and saw Shiemi running towards them.

Shiemi ran past Amitiel and approached Rin. When she saw how hurt he was, her heart sank.

"Rin! What happened?! Are you hurt?" Shiemi asked and touched his shoulder.

Rin reacted violently and swat her hand away. "_Don't touch me!_" Rin screamed.

Shiemi recoiled in hurt and spoke sheepishly, "... Rin?"

Rin looked at her and shook his head. "Oh. Uh... I-I'm sorry..." Rin looked at her apologetically. "I-I'm okay..." Rin said more calmly then shot a fake smile. "So what happened to the pervert?"

"I fulfilled his desires. He said "thank you, onee-san" and disappeared," Shiemi smiled warmly.

"Oh, I see..." Rin said.

Shiemi looked down with the same smile then looked back up into Rin's blue eyes. Her emerald green eyes shone as she said, "Rin... Let's come back again some day, just like we promised."

Rin's smiled drained away as he looked away and said, "... Right."

Shiemi's smile drained away as well at how hurt Rin sounded.

"Shiemi!"

Amitiel, Rin, and Shiemi turned their heads to Yukio, who was running towards them, accompanied by Tsubaki.

"Shiemi! Are you alright?!" Yukio panted.

"I'm okay, but Rin and Tanaka-san aren't! You gotta treat them!" Shiemi replied.

Yukio looked past Shiemi to Rin, "what happened to you, Nii-san?" He observed his brother from head to toe. His shirt was stained with blood along with his face.

"Um..." Rin spoke but stopped when the hooded figure was walking towards them.

"Jeez! You two had yer head in yer ass so I had to step in myself," Yamada said as they stopped and added with a smile, "it's been too long, Yukio."

Yukio's turquoise eyes widened when he recognized Yamada's voice. "It can't be—"

Rin exchanged glances between Yukio and Yamada. "H-Hold on! Do you guys know each other?!" Rin shouted when he noticed the familiarity between the two.

Yamada began lifting their sweater over their chest. "Man, thank god I can get this stupid disguise off..." They said and the slenderness of Yamada's figure revealed their gender.

Long rolls of bandage unfurled around Yamada's chest and confirmed they were female.

Rin's eyes shot out of their sockets and Shiemi gasped and covered her mouth. Amitiel's eyes widened in shock at Yamada's true appearance.

It was nothing like they expected at all.

Yamada threw the sweater off their head, and there stood a woman with long, messy hot-pink hair with blond at the ends of her bangs and a long pony tail. What shocked the trio the most was this woman's revealing clothes, if there were any. She wore none other than a pink bikini top that was obviously too small and tight for her large breasts. Her strange tattoo on her chest were she pulled her sword out trailed in a line down her stomach, were a design encircled her belly button.

"My name's Shura Kirigakure, senior exorcist first class," Shura said as she dropped the sweater and the ground.

The woman named Shura made a smirk as she added, "the Vatican of the Knights of the True Cross has dispatched me as a senior inspector in order to uncover what they predicted to be dangerous activity here in the Japan Branch."

The students and Tsubaki had no way how to react to what has just been uncovered before their eyes. And with that, Shura grinned.

"You're a... Senior exorcist... And _inspector_?!" Tsubaki blurted out.

"Oh, don't believe me?" Shura reached her hands out of her pockets, holding an ID and the exorcist badge. "Here's my license and badge to prove it."

Tsubaki gulped. He was always nervous in the presence of someone superiour to him. "Y-yes, of course..." Tsubaki nodded and introduced himself. "My name is Kaori Tsubaki, intermediate exorcist first class."

Shura fanned her hand at him, disregarding his introduction. "No need to be so formal, I ain't good at that stuff. Aren't you guys hot?" Shura said and she fanned herself to counteract the blazing heat.

Yukio remained silent still.

"Anyways," Shura looked back at Rin, who gave her a confused stare. "I'll be takin' this kid back with me to headquarters."

"Huh?" Rin said.

"While I'm at it, summon preceptor Pheles to me as well, even if you must drag his ass."

Tsubaki gulped again and said, "yes, ma'am!"

Shura felt satisfied and turned over to Rin. She dived her arm over his neck and scooped him up, dragging him. "Alright, get up. I've got some questions for ya." Rin's face dug into the side of her breast and Rin mumbled so loud and flailed his arms. Luckily no one could see how much he was blushing.

Shiemi approached Shura cautiously and said, "Um, Rin is still injured. Can he get some help first?"

Shura walked over to Shiemi and said, "this kid'll live. Now step back, you _reek of milk_."

_I reek of milk?_ Shiemi asked herself while envisioning cows, bottles of milk, and her even spiting out the white stuff.

While Shura dragged Rin, his loud mumbling attracted the attention of the other Exwires. Suguro saw Shura as she held onto Rin by the neck and asked, "what the hell is going on? Okumura-sensei!"

When Suguro and the Exwires came face to face with Shura, Yukio stepped in to level out the situation. "Today's mission is over. Return to your dorms."

"Huh?" Suguro said and frowned in confusion. "What did that jackass do this time?!"

"I'm so jealous!" Shima shouted, throwing his hands up and down in front of him, as he observed as Rin's face was caught in Shura's breast as she dragged him. "Who's that chick?!" Shima yelled.

"She's what you guys knew as Yamada," Amitiel answered the boys with a cross to her arms.

The boys paused for a moment before they all went "huh?!"

"Y-You mean Yamada was a woman this _whole time_?!" Shima yelled again.

"Hey, you! What's going on?" Izumo shouted at Shiemi while Suguro asked, "what did Okumura do to get in this much trouble?"

Shiemi ignored them and looked at Rin, who was being dragged away by Shura. "I don't know... But Rin didn't do anything wrong."

Amitiel realized that Rin was being taken away by Shura, Yukio, and Tsubaki. She felt a shiver run through her spine as she knew it wasn't entirely safe for them to be here. The son of Satan is still alive and he could attack them at any moment, if by any chance he was still here.

Amitiel took a step forward and shouted, "wait a second—!"

Amitiel stopped when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She looked back up and saw Raziel.

_Raziel?_ Amitiel thought in confusion.

Shima suddenly shouted when he noticed Raziel's sudden appearance, "hey! That's Tanaka-sensei! When did he get here?!"

"There is no need to follow them, Amitiel," Raziel said and let go of her shoulder. "This is beyond your authority."

Amitiel stopped and added without looking at him, "... I have every right to protect him."

There was a small twitch to Raziel's lower eyelid. This time Raziel held Amitiel by the arm and pulled her away. She didn't hesitate any more and allowed him.

"The Order will handle him, now let's go," Raziel said as Amitiel looked at Rin in Shura's arm. It appears they were heading towards a random door in the amusement park.

"Besides, you should not be so worked up over a mere human. Focus on the mission, Amitiel."

"Yes, Raziel," Amitiel said, but there was a feeling in her heart that wanted her to break free from Raziel's grip and run for Rin.

"Follow me, students. I will escort you back to your designated dorms," Raziel said and the students followed.

At this point, Raziel knew the mission will be complete, because that exorcist named Shura Kirigakure is going to kill Rin.

* * *

**A/N: ... omg Amitiel stooooop seriously why you so stupid?**

**I'm back with another long chappie! I FINALLY FINISHED EXAMS YAYYY AND I GOT ACCEPTED INTO UNIVERSITY! *squeals***

**I already started the next chapter after I finished this one, and boy I had fun writing this. I like describing fight scenes and stuff like that haha.**

**ALSO. BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU LOVELY HUMANS FOR SUPPORTING ME! IM SO GRATEFUL! *heavy sobbing* To be honest, I thought this story would only get like 5 reviews or something hahaa (but I guess not because hOLY SHIT 47 REVIEWS I CAN'T EVEN) *passes out***


	20. Chapter 19: The Exorcist's Will

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 19: The Exorcist's Will**_

* * *

**"Hold on... Where are you taking me?" Rin asked when he realized Shura brought him in front of the door to the public bathrooms.**

"Oh, right. You've never been to the base before, haven't you?" Shura said as Yukio pulled out a ring of his magic keys. He held one that was unique to the others. It had intrinsic designs and jewels embedded in the metal. Yukio inserted the key into the hole without hesitation and twisted it.

Rin was mesmerized when Yukio opened the door and across the doorway was a dark, dimly-lit foyer with stone balconies surrounding the walls with pillars. Under each balcony was a hall that stretched out to another foyer. Flags with the emblem of the Knights of the True Cross hung valiantly in rows on the walls and pillars, and long drapes hung on the ceiling with the universal crest of the Vatican. Ahead was a stone pathway surrounded by water on each side with stone lamps along the edges, casting a warm, dim glow across the surface of the dark water.

Yukio allowed Shura to pass through, dragging Rin with her. Rin looked at the door behind and saw there were no walls the door was connected to.

_Whoa... This place is cool._ Rin thought to himself in silent amazement.

"What you see 'ere is the base of the Japan branch of the True Cross Order. Right now were underground below True Cross Academy," Shura spoke, pulling Rin out of his stance. "In the eyes of the public, we don't exist. We're an elite secret organization with many branches all over the world, with the headquarters situated at the Vatican City below St. Peter's cathedral," Shura explained as she dragged Rin down the pathway. There were some exorcists along the way that gave Shura odd looks then at Rin.

Rin looked around in curiosity as Shura continued, "our goal still remains the same since the Order was formed. We've had a long history when it comes to defending humanity against demons and all sorts of paranormal monsters for over 2000 years."

Shura and Yukio stopped in front of a large gate. There were two exorcists that stood on each side. When they recognized Shura after giving them a quick nod, one entered a small office on the side and flicked on a large switch. With a loud buzzing alarm, the steel gate lifted up, allowing the red-haired exorcist and Yukio to pass through.

Rin watched in utter amazement at the structure of the underground facility. It looked like a city with many storeys of pillars and large archways. Throughout the storeys, some exorcists roamed around. Shura smiled proudly when she met eyes with Mephisto, who was standing ahead of her, with his usual, carefree, toothy smirk across his face. Rin noticed that where they stood was under a large painting of the Order's crest on the floor. There was so much detail put into the design it looked as if it was printed off instead of designed by hand.

Rin could clearly make out some Latin words inscribed on a red ribbon that ran across the lower part of the logo: _bellum Fatum, Vita Mori._

_War and Fate, Life and Death._

"Precisely correct!" Mephisto exclaimed by clapping his hands together in excitement. "That is our mission as the Knights of humanity. It's been too long, Shura!"

Rin saw Mephisto was no longer dressed in his clownish attire. Instead, he was dressed in a formal white cassock with a gold chain hanging across the folds on his chest to the badge that was pinned on his upper left breast. Mephisto still modified his uniform with his tacky taste. He still wore a long white cape held over his chest with more gold chains. His belt even had a heart-shape buckle. However, at least he wasn't wearing his unusually large top hat. There was a long strand of hair on top of his head that formed in a loop at the top. To be honest, Rin was a little creeped out by the demon's odd fashion sense.

"You're quite the stealthy type—sneaking into my academy and spying on my students right under my nose. You've played me well," Mephisto grinned and gently clapped his hands without making a noise.

"Quit flattering me, Mephisto," Shura spoke sharply. "You raised the Son of Satan in secrecy from the Vatican. So answer me this briefly: what the hell are you planning?"

Mephisto recoiled back and smiled, raising his hands up in surrender, "I assure you I'm not planning anything. Although it is true that I have been hiding him, I did it for the Order's sake, that is all." He gave her a toothy smile, revealing a part of his demonic nature. "You see, I'm raising the Child of Satan to be used as a weapon for the Order. For many centuries humanity has always defended itself from demons, but now... We have the chance to switch to offence."

"Even so, but the fact you hid this "plan" from our superiours doesn't convince me of your loyalty to the Order," Shura added. This time she was no longer smiling.

"I wanted to fine-tune this little plan of mine before I can present it to Order," Mephisto said, still smiling pridefully. "It wouldn't be as impressive if the Vatican were to see an incomplete project."

Shura remained silent for a moment before another question surfaced. "I have one more question for ya—was Shiro Fujimoto involved in this too?"

Rin's heart leaped at the mention of that name.

"In part, yes. But I had him raise Rin Okumura until his demonic powers awakened," Mephisto calmly said.

Shura paused before she whispered, "... I see."

She looked back up to Mephisto with her sincere violet eyes. "No matter, I'll need to report this to the Vatican. But before that, I'd like to interrogate this kid first, so I'll be using the Great Cell."

Rin was a little stunned by the word "interrogation". What has he gotten himself into?

"Do as you wish..." Mephisto nodded, but then a toothy smirk spread at the corner of his mouth. "You'll find him quite amusing," Mephisto added with a quiet chuckle.

"Wow, ya ain't worried I'll ruin your little "project"?" Shura smirked back at him over her shoulder, and she dragged Rin under her arm towards the Great Cell. "Ya'll regret allowing me to toy with him."

At this point, Yukio had to break his silence. When he realized where the conversation was going, Yukio took a step forward toward the high-class exorcist. "Shura, wait!"

Shura stopped and turned to Yukio. Yukio was gesticulating as he had trouble finding the right words to explain Rin's situation. "Please, it's pointless in interrogating my brother. Allow me to explain myself."

"Yukio." Shura slid forward and approached Yukio. Her face was a little too close to his. "Even though I haven't seen ya in years, ya haven't changed a bit, huh?" Shura scanned him quickly. "Besides the fact ya got taller."

Yukio's stress only seemed to increase exponentially.

Shura swiped her body away from him, and her fiery red and yellow hair flung in his face and knocked his glasses to the side. Yukio frowned and adjusted them.

"This ain't yer business anymore, so go home and relax!" Shura called out as she walked away and waved her hand from behind.

"Shura!" Yukio called out and urged himself to follow after her, but he couldn't do anything against her.

* * *

Rin gasped when Shura threw him forward into a square-looking cell with high ceilings covered by glass skylights. He tripped forward, his hand still latched tightly on the sword, until Rin gained his balance and looked back at Shura. Surprisingly, he only gave her a docile stare. He took a moment to observe where he was. There was rusted pipelines running across the walls and the ceiling, and even the paint from the walls peeled and chipped off. Rin thought for a second he was back in one of the cram school's classrooms because of how similarly run-down they were.

Rin heard the metal hinges of the cell door squeak as the door closed shut and large bolts and bars moved and twisted on the door, locking both him and Shura alone in this solitary cell. _The Great Cell_, they called it.

"You're so damn quiet all of a sudden," Shura remarked by placing her hands on her curvy hips as Rin remained silent.

Rin opened his mouth and said, "how do you know my old man?"

"Heh, basically all my life. You can say I was Shiro Fujimoto's apprentice." Shura smiled.

"Huh?! So are you like... a nun or something?!" Rin gasped, looking at her get-up one more time.

Shura made a small chuckle. "Actually, despite I'm an exorcist, I've never prayed to god in my life. To be frank, I believe in Satan more than god and angels."

Rin's eyes widened at the mention of god and angels, and suddenly a burning anger welled up in his body. Rin looked away and whispered, "... Me too."

Shura looked at him sternly. "Then you know what true suffering is. I've lived in some rough conditions where my life was always on the line," Shura said. "I felt hopeless until he saved me..."

Shura closed her eyes as she remembered her memories of when Shiro saved her from demons. She had lived in what Shiro described as a graveyard for lost souls such as her. She had been enslaved by demons until Shiro exorcised them, saving her life. Since then, Shiro decided to take her in as his pupil, teaching her the art of fighting so that she may become strong and help others like what the old man did for her.

Shura turned around and her yellow-coloured bangs shielded her purple eyes. "But... it's all in the past now."

The room was silent for a moment until Rin's heart skipped a beat when Shura yelped and went on her knees, clutching the side of her abdomen. Rin called out to her as he approached her, "oi! You alright? Did you hurt yourself earlier?"

It took a few seconds for Rin to realize his sword was ripped out of his hand as Shura grabbed it and zipped away. She smiled as she strolled along nearby, with Rin's sword over her shoulder.

"You dumbass! You fell for the _oldest_ trick in the book!" Shura laughed. "That's twice you've lost this! You gonna give this thing away to your enemies as a Christmas present?"

Rin grit his teeth in anger and his pupils dilated into a blood red when he charged at her screaming, "shut up!"

Shura gasped when blue flames erupted around his body, despite the sheath was still intact on the sword.

_Impossible...! The sword's still sheathed! That means...!_

Shura dodged him as he threw a punch at her. Shura zipped aside and put her hand on the sigil on her chest as she chanted, "_devour the eight princesses..._"

_The sword can no longer contain his power anymore!_

Shura grit her teeth as she recalled her conversation with Father Fujimoto regarding this boy in blue flames. It took place at high noon in the outdoor halls of the Vatican.

_"Shura..." Shiro's voice echoed throughout the empty halls. "If something unexpected happened to me, will you look out and teach this child I'm watching over how to fight?"_

_"Huh?" Shura was confused."Ya mean that scaredy four-eyes?" She wondered why Shiro was suddenly bringing him up all of a sudden. "But he's already trained ya know!"_

_"No, I mean the other twin." Shiro reached into his coat pocket he had under one of his arms and pulled out a photo, there was a young boy, possibly in his early teens, with an embarrassed stare across his face when he was caught stealing one of his father's more mature magazines. "You haven't met him before, but his name is Rin—and he's quite a funny guy." Shiro handed the photo to Shura and she reluctantly took it._

_Shiro straightened himself up, his muscles were tense and Shiro appeared more skittish then she had ever seen him. To be honest, what he was doing at this very moment worried her. She always knew Shiro as calm and collected, so calm he wouldn't have any worries even if the end of the world was happening. He was the man with luck on his side, and with every exorcism he attended he exorcised the demon without injuring a single part of himself, while maintain that cool-headed composure of his. Suddenly seeing Shiro distraught and desperate must mean something urgent is happening, something that scared even Shiro._

_"My current situation is becoming increasingly risky, and there are high chances I might be incapable of taking care of those twins, so I ask of you to prepare Rin for what is to come if something were to happen to me," Shiro said calmly, but there was hesitation on his lips._

_Shura examined the photo for a second. "Look, I know being nominated as Paladin is stressful, but you've always had everything in control! Why wait until now to teach this kid? And why does it have to be me?" Shura inquired. When she thought over the situation, she became suspicious as to why this Rin kid never got taught early like Yukio had been._

_Shiro paused. "... Because you're an expert at wielding demon swords."_

_At the mention of that, Shura gasped as to what Shiro was asking. "You're gonna give this 12-year-old kid a _demon sword_?! Are you insane?! An inexperienced amateur could never tame a demon of that class, let alone some stupid kid!"_

_"I'm fully aware of the consequences, but there's absolutely no choice," Shiro tried to maintain his calm composure. "I'm sorry for asking you such a big favour, but I must ask of you. You are the only one I can trust in this matter."_

_"But why?!"_

_"Shura..." Shiro almost whispered. "It's been so long since I've first met you..."_

_Shura gasped quietly. "What are you doing—"_

_"I still remember the times you gradually became stronger and stronger—but now it's time to use your past experiences and knowledge to help others." Shiro bowed his head, the glare in his lenses hid his eyes behind the light. "I need you to help _me_."_

_Shura began to chuckle uncomfortably, which quickly trailed away as she said, "you've... never had to rely on others." Shura looked at Shiro in sad disappointment. "What happened to ya...?"_

_Shura formed an irritated frown as she continued, "you were always so damn calm, and always so damn perfect...! Is it because your gettin' old, is that what!? Now that death draws near you've become scared?! Gee, you're not the only one here!" Shura yelled, which travelled throughout the hall. "After all I've done for you, you cast me aside... and now your dumping that kid onto me!?"_

_Shiro bowed down towards Shura, the sincerity in his bow shut Shura up. "Y-You...!"_

_Shiro closed his eyes and waited for an impossible answer._

_Shura threw the photo on the ground and marched past him. "Ridiculous! Don't you ever come asking me for anything again!"_

_Silence took over, except the hasty sounds of Shura's boots tapping against the glassy flooring as she marched away with fists clenched firmly beside her sides._

_Shiro... I really wanted to believe in you, but this is absurd!_

"—_Sever the snake..._" Shura whispered and pulled her sword out of the glyph on her chest. She looked at Rin across the cell and a thought ran across her mind.

_You were the strongest mentor!_

She swiped her sword in front of her and the air whistled as the sword cut through it. Rin gasped at what she was doing, and was overcome with confusion.

"Wait a sec! Why's my guardian's apprentice drawing her sword on me!?" Rin exclaimed as Shura threw Rin's sword over her shoulder and fixed the strap across her chest.

Shura raised the blade of her sword in front of her face, it gleamed as she flicked her wrist and revealed its flat section, exposing the demonic green eyes of the demon sword along the ridge.

"... Because I've received _secret orders_ from the Vatican headquarters," she answered. "The night Shiro Fujimoto died, the Vatican got their hands on important intel indicating that he and Mephisto were plotting something in secret ever since the Blue Night sixteen years ago—I was ordered to investigate."

"What?" Rin gasped.

"Also, if I determined that it had something related with Satan, I was commanded to immediately _terminate_ the threat."

Rin gasped. _So that threat... is me?!_

"I saw you covered in blue flames—the mark of Satan, which proves entirely that intel was correct." Shura raised her sword over her head and balanced herself, forming a stance. "Now, as ordered, I'm going to kill you. Looks like the apprentice must clean up her master's mess." Shura smirked.

Rin raised his hand out in mercy. "W-Wait! Give me a chance to explain! Wai—"

"_Kirigakure-style demon sword technique... serpent fang!_" Shura whipped her sword across the air at many angles, forming shock waves in mid-air. The waves flung towards Rin at high-speed, and he had no time but to stand in shock.

* * *

A loud bang sounded across the whole underground city of the exorcist headquarters, provoking Yukio to gasp loudly.

Mephisto spoke before Yukio could react. "It's no use now. Looks like the fun has begun." Mephisto smiled and took a sip of his tea from an intricately designed teacup and plate. "The Great Cell can only be unlocked by an exorcist of senior class. I suggest we all sit back and relax until the interrogation is over."

Yukio frowned but had no power to object.

* * *

Rin coughed and gasped as the air around him was polluted with cloudy dust that smelt like old, damp books. He looked behind him at the wall and saw large, perfectly even cuts driven into the concrete from the sound waves. Parts around the cuts fell apart in large chunks of rock and smashed onto the ground.

Rin coughed to clear his throat from impurities from the dust. "What the hell?! What just—!"

Rn couldn't finish his sentence when Shura launched more sound waves at him. Rin dived aside and a wave hit the wall. He charged away from the incoming waves as Shura launched more in his direction. Rin ran with all his might to avoid getting sliced in half by one of those waves.

_What the hell?! That demon is nothing compared to her! She's so powerful!_ Rin had never felt so powerless in his life, only when he stood face-to-face with his real father.

Shura glanced at Rin as he dodged her wave attacks.

_"Shiro... you're not raising a human... aren't you?" Shura stopped walking away. "So tell me right now, what are you doing?"_

_Shiro didn't look back at Shura and nor did she. "...I'm creating a weapon. I'm raising the child of Satan as a weapon for the order."_

_A weapon..._

_You... risked your life for something impossible as THIS?! Is that why you've suddenly been so distant and paranoid!?_

_Shiro!_

Rin recovered from being hit by a shock wave, but not nearly fast enough when Shura sprinted at him and drove her foot under his ribcage, forcing Rin to spout out blood. He hit his back against the wall.

"What a waste of time. Even if I trained this thing, there's no chance he could even lay a scratch on Satan." Rin gasped when Shura pointed the tip of her sword at him. "You were senile, Shiro—and a blind coward. You abandoned your duty as an exorcist and clung to an impossible hope..."

"You're wrong!" Rin suddenly cried out and Shura was taken aback. "My father died trying to protecting me! How dare ya call him a coward!?"

Shura frowned derisively at him. "Because he _was_."

"Shut the hell up! You have no idea what you're friggin' talking about! Stop making up crap about him!" Rin hissed violently, but then he stopped as his memories replayed in his mind of his last moments with Shiro when he was killed by Satan.

Grief overwhelmed Rin, but instead of shedding tears, Rin balled up his fists and he lit up in blue flames again as anger boiled in his veins. "You're an idiot... nobody disses my dad like that, and I won't tolerate anyone who does—not even his own damn _apprentice_!"

* * *

Amitiel and the Exwires had returned to their classroom with guidance from Raziel. It was time for Grimoire Literature and the students had just began learning more advanced mantras and sutras as well as the original exorcism chant named simply as _Exorcismus._ Rin even begged to watch real exorcisms documented on videos but Raziel was forbidden from showing the students. The students can learn by observing live exorcisms in their third year, which so happens to be 2 years away.

Raziel was sitting at his desk, reading the newspaper and adjusted his eyes with reading glasses. He would sometimes flick his gaze up at the students faces to ensure they were doing their work. He gazed at Izumo, who read special summoning chants to be memorized for which ones apply to her. Raziel could tell by her soul that she was gifted with powerful invocative abilities that surpassed regular humans, but those abilities were passed down from generation to generation in the Kamiki family which were a bloodline of shrine maidens.

Raziel had strong confidence for Ryuji; he calmly reread the books he was given with determination. He was the student, despite his intelligence, that posed the most questions throughout the class time, mainly because his determination only increased his curiosity. Ryuji was even the only one out of all students who was capable of helping his comrades out, mostly Konekomaru and Shima, although Ryuji seemed to help Shima forcefully since Shima was always daydreaming, especially of Shura (although he stills thinks about Izumo).

Shiemi was restless since she did not stop worrying about Rin. Raziel could feel stress in her soul but not because of her struggles in her academics. Although her understanding of Latin is beneficial due to learning many taxonomical names of herbs and plants used in pharmaceutical medicines, she lacked determination to use her knowledge of the language when studying Latin chants for her summoning classes.

Upon laying his green eyes on Amitiel, he stopped reading and set the newspaper down. There was something off about Amitiel that caught his eye. Her usual behaviour was replaced by many head scratches and difficulty maintaining concentration of her work. Amitiel always ended up tapping her pencil quickly against the desk and looked around herself as if she were trying to find a way to escape from the classroom. Her eyes wavered all over the place until they rested on Raziel's green ones. At that, Amitiel stopped and stared, and the vibe he was giving off made her heart leap in uneasiness.

_We need to talk after this lesson._ Raziel spoke telepathically to her.

When the time came and the bell rang, the students quietly filed out into the hallway. It was quiet because of Rin's absence. Everyone left the classroom except for Amitiel, who was forced to remain in her seat. Raziel stood by the door with his hand on the handle, waiting for room to be emptied. Konekomaru was the last one to reach the door and bowed at Raziel respectively before he exited the room. With that, Raziel closed the door when he left and a loud screech followed before the door clicked shut.

Amitiel looked down and observed the pencil that was sitting on her desk in front of her. For some reason she dared not look into Raziel's eyes. Raziel placed his hands and held them behind his back as he strolled effortlessly towards Amitiel.

"There are things we must discuss of your current progress towards the mission," Raziel spoke. He began patrolling around the desks, yet not too far away from Amitiel. "Amitiel, it has been over a year since you have been enrolled in True Cross academy, and I am disappointed to say that you still did not uncover the Son of Satan."

"I apologize, but I need more time," Amitiel immediately responded.

"You have had plenty of time, Amitiel," Raziel sounded frustrated for a second. "Do you understand the extent of the consequences you create by the decisions you are making? We can not allow the Son of Satan to live any longer. We are running out of _time_, Amitiel!"

"I apologize, but this mission is not as simple as it seems to you," Amitiel remained patient. "I'm trying, Raziel. But I'm living a double life here. It's difficult for me to balance out my time in school and my time for the mission."

"But from what you have reported to me, throughout your school career, you had multiple chances to take him down and yet you failed at each one of them. Why?" Raziel inquired sharply.

"You don't understand," Amitiel frowned and looked at him. "There's something about him that doesn't make sense. For some reason I can't even sense his presence, but those few times I did. And then soon after that: he's gone. Again. Out of thin air."

"Then why have you not taken those chance encounters to finish your mission?" Raziel inquired again and crossed his arms firmly.

"Because... because I've realized something else about my mission." Amitiel looked down. "I speak of the Exwires, the next generation of exorcists. I have this urge to protect them with my life because... the Son of Satan is always _there _with them. And I must protect them for that."

_And him._

Raziel looked at her. "Remember when I told you that your senses may be rendered useless when searching for him? Have you ever searched for clues from your surroundings to uncover his identity?" Raziel said.

Amitiel remained silent.

"Why haven't you searched for clues all this time?" Raziel asked.

Amitiel wrapped herself in her arms and looked away from his serious gaze. "... I don't know."

"I think I know why. You have grown attached to them, correct? The Exwires," Raziel answered for her.

Amitiel was a little shocked at how much Raziel saw through her. She didn't know what until he explained her own feelings. To be honest, it felt as if protecting the Exwires seemed more important than killing Satan's son.

Raziel went silent when Amitiel's sincere gaze showed him he was right. "I understand now."

Raziel turned his back on her and added, "I apologize for saying this, but maybe you are incapable of carrying out your mission because of mere laziness, or perhaps, because of _distraction_."

"What do you mean _distraction_?" Amitiel's head shot up.

"You should understand what I mean. I speak of this cover you are playing. You are hereby expelled from the cram school and True Cross Academy."

At this point Amitiel bolted up and yelled, "what do you mean I'm _expelled_?!"

Raziel looked back at her in shocked disbelief. The fact she raised her voice at him was not Amitiel at all.

"I will not answer that again. You have become too distracted from the Exwires and thus it would be more appropriate if you did not have a school life to further waste your time from completing your mission. My decision is final."

Amitiel's angered tone dropped immediately and she fell back on her seat, defeated and wrecked. Amitiel had nothing else to do but obey Raziel. And now that she stood up against him, she deeply regretted that. Amitiel looked away from Raziel in shame and responded sheepishly,"...okay."

"Swell, now use the time you have been given to search for the Son of Satan. Do not fail me again," Raziel added sternly.

Amitiel slowly got up and walked over to the door. Raziel watched her cautiously as she was about to step up but she stopped at the doorway.

"Raziel, I sincerely ask of you to give me a chance."

Raziel crossed his arms.

"You don't understand how much importance those Exwires are, and the Son of Satan is after them, I'm sure of it. Or perhaps..." Amitiel realized something. "... One of them _is_ it."

Raziel finally uncrossed his arms and made a nod. "That is your first clue."

Amitiel raised her head up. "Then please give me a chance to uncover the Son of Satan among those students."

Raziel paused for a moment, pondering on whether or not he should remove her suspension. He put his fingers on his chin as he thought in doubt. But the Angel of Truth never lies.

Raziel finally made his decision. "...Alright."

A spark lit up in Amitiel's human heart.

"But this is your last chance. If you fail, I _will_ remove you from this school," Raziel added firmly.

Amitiel turned around and bowed at him for his forgiveness and mercy. "Thank you, Raziel."

"Do not thank me. Be thankful you have been given mercy," Raziel said. After that, he just sighed.

* * *

Rin roared and charged at Shura. The two had been fighting for the past 30 minutes. There were a lot of swinging and dodging and rolling around as the two fought, or in this case, Rin was the only who was really doing the fighting—or was trying. There was also a lot of blue flames flying around since Rin was still on fire.

Shura was only dodging aside and around to avoid Rin's un-timed punches, which resulted in him getting kicked in the face multiple times. There was a lot of heavy panting from Rin as he neared tiring from fighting Shura non-stop. Shura found the chance to blast more waves at him but instead of dodging them, Rin charged straight into them, causing him to fly back and hit the wall. The collision he made with the waves sent shock waves throughout the cell, and a cloud of dust forming between him and Shura. He rolled over on the ground, his blue flames licked the surface of his skin and grew brighter as his anger and frustration increased.

Shura stood still calmly and tirelessly, despite all the fighting she did. She raised her sword up and rested the blade over her shoulder as she gazed at Rin, perplexed by how amateur he was at fighting.

_Geez, this kid's out of control._ Shura thought as Rin went on his hands and looked at Shura, panting hard._ There's so much wasted movement and overall, he has no skills in battle whatsoever._

"Oi! I thought you said you won't tolerate me dissing your dad. What are you waiting for?" Shura shouted.

Rin grit his teeth and tried to get up. "I'm not through with you!" Rin yelped when his muscles on his legs gave out and he tripped down back on the concrete.

"Well, since yer just sittin' there like a lazy tool, I'll make my next move." Shura held her sword in front of her, positioning the tip of her blade across her to her other hand. She chanted, "_Kirigakure-style demon sword technique—_" Shura flicked her wrists down, and the sword's blade was so thin it almost looked as if it disappeared from Rin's view. "_—Rattle!_"

Suddenly, roars rang through the cell and ghostly figures of snakes enveloped Shura. They were literally 15 ft tall and dangerous-looking. Rin gasped in horror when the snakes quickly slithered forward towards Rin. Rin had nothing else to defend him besides instinctively raising his hands up to cover his face. Rin felt his skin crawl as the snakes passed through him, wiping the blue flames off of Rin and shut down his powers momentarily. Rin's ears shrunk back to normal size and the blue flaming horns on his head disappeared. Rin looked at his bare skin and noticed his flames disappeared.

Rin felt this excruciating pain shoot through his left breast. Rin gasped in pure horror when he saw Shura's sword drive right into his flesh. Rin yelled loudly in pain and fell on his knees. Shura pushed a little more and the tip of the blade shot out of Rin from his back and he howled again.

"Holy shit! Take it like a man, already!" Shura said as she slowly drove her sword through his body. She stopped when Rin suddenly grabbed the blade with his bare hand and stopped her from pushing any more. Shura let out a small gasp at how foolish he was.

"I can't... I can't friggin' die yet!" Rin tried to restrain Shura's sword from going deeper through his chest, he held onto the sharp blade so hard blood seeped from his palm and leaked out and trailed down on the sword. "I haven't even kept my promise to him! I said it right in front of his grave—that I would become the most powerful exorcist like him—and kick Satan's ass!" Rin yelled, tinged with tears in his eyes.

"'Kick Satan's ass'? Are you really that stupid?" Shura growled.

"Damn right I am!" Rin admitted. "I'll become the most powerful exorcist—a Paladin! If I do become Paladin, then that means... Shiro Fujimoto was right for raising me this whole time!"

"A Paladin?! Don't you dare make me laugh, you brat!" Shura said, but then she remembered something.

_He's quite a funny guy_. Shiro's voice echoed in Shura's consciousness.

And with that, Shura gasped a little, and the anger within her suddenly vanished as she stared at Rin's serious, beat-up face.

Rin's was still gritting his teeth when suddenly he saw the red-haired woman smile in front of him. Rin looked at her in confusion. He heard small giggles escape from her mouth until she pulled her sword out of him and laughed hysterically.

Rin sat staring awkwardly at the exorcist, completely baffled at her sudden change in mood.

Shura regained her breath and placed her sword over her shoulder. "Oh my god! You're right, Shiro, this kid_ is_ ridiculous!" Shura closed her eyes and looked down. "Nah, the ridiculous one is probably me."

With a snap of her fingers, the large metal door of the Great Cell opened. Rin looked between the door and Shura, who returned her sword back into the sigil on her chest. There was a magenta glow coming from her sigil until it faded when the sword disappeared in it.

"Hey, kid, do you love Shiro?" Shura smiled down at him. Rin Okumura raised his head up quickly and yelled, "Of course I do!"

Rin continued babbling uncontrollably but Shura was already deep in thought. _Shiro... you didn't raise a weapon. What you raised was... a son._

* * *

"Ouch, goddammit!" Rin shrieked as Yukio was cleaning up the stab wound Rin received from Shura.

"Even with your enhanced regeneration, you still scream like a baby," Yukio sighed as he dabbed Rin's wound with a cotton ball, absorbing the blood around it.

"Hey! Shura drove a friggin' _sword_ through me!" Rin yelled back.

"At least be thankful she spared you. She would've done much worst," Yukio said. He tossed the bloodied cotton ball in the trash beside him and pulled out some rubbing alcohol from his medical kit.

Rin's face went white. "No, p-please! Not that! I'm sorry for all the stupid things I've said to you just please—spare me!" Rin whined.

Yukio ignored him and used the chance while he was distracted to pour some of the liquid right all over Rin's stab wound. Rin screamed in pain so loudly Yukio swore the whole base could hear him.

"I had to use it to prevent any infection from forming." Yukio screwed the cap back on and placed the bottle back in the kit. Next, he pulled out a big roll of long bandage and began wrapping the bandage around Rin's abdomen and over his shoulder. Rin winced and sucked in his breath as Yukio gingerly wrapped the bandage over Rin's wound.

"Next time, don't be so reckless. If it weren't for Shura appearing at the right moment in the amusement park, I'm sure that demon would've killed you," Yukio said and cut the bandage with some scissors. "And you wouldn't have been stabbed."

"Oh, I was fine! Hana came at the right moment and kicked that demon right in the face!" Rin made a thumbs up with his hand and groaned in pain.

"Tanaka-san?" Yukio raised an eyebrow.

"Man, I don't understand how she does it, but one second she's across a whole amusement park and the next—" Rin snapped his fingers. "Bam! There she was right in front of me, out of nowhere."

"I... see," Yukio said as he looked down. There was a suspicious look on Yukio's face that he hid from Rin by shielding his eyes with the glare in his glasses. Rin looked at him in confusion at the sudden moody drop in tone he had.

"Huh?" Rin said.

Yukio changed the topic. "I almost forgot to tell you—I'll be arriving to the dorms late due to some work I must do."

"Again?" Rin whined.

"It's not my fault I have a job before you."

"Shut up—mole face!"

Rin and Yukio went silent when the door to the infirmary the brothers were currently in opened and revealed Shura across the doorway.

"Here." Shura tossed something at Rin and he caught it in mid-air.

"Huh? What's this?" Rin looked at the stick-like figure.

"What do you think it is, dumbass? It's a wooden sword," Shura responded.

Rin looked at Shura and responded, almost in worry, "hey! What about my sword?"

"Oh, this?" Shura cocked her head aside at the sword slung over her shoulder. "I'll hang on to this for the time being. Who knows when Amaimon will show up and snatch it again. But let's forget about that."

Rin straightened himself up.

"If ya want it back, then get stronger. Take it back by defeating me," Shura said. "Oh, and one more thing... prove that Shiro was right all along."

Rin nodded his head. Yukio looked at him and Shura, wondering what kind of conversation took place between them about Shiro Fujimoto. He looked back at Shura as he rose on his feet. "Well, I have some business to attend to, if you need me, Shura, I'll be at the base's information archives."

"Huh? What for?" Shura said, confused.

"It's some research for my school work," Yukio lied.

* * *

**A/N: Heeey Im back with another chappie, I'm literally so stupid (much stupider than Rin actually) because I had this thing complete aND THAN I FORGOT TO SAVE IT AND A LOST IT OMFGGGGGG SO I HAD TO REWRITE THIS OUT OF MEMORY... ...MY MEMORY **_**SUCKS ASS**_**!**

**oh, I finally changed my dA username so the link on my profile's also changed.**

**Anyways, reviews are always appreciated. Besides I got 53 reviews so far and OMG YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! Thank you so much to you all for paying attention to this story ahhh!**


	21. Chapter 20: Identity

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 20: Identity**_

* * *

**It was two in the afternoon by the time Yukio entered the grand doors of the underground Japan branch and was immediately transported to Italy, but that's what he thought if he were still in Tokyo.** It was morning in Rome, and because of the fast travel Yukio did by using one of his magic keys to cross from Japan to Rome created some jet-lag for him.

Yukio exited from one of the secret doors throughout inside the Vatican's headquarters, St. Peter's Basilica, where all secrets about the exorcists' secret organization were kept buried beneath the public's attention. Conspirists have conjured many theories as to what the Vatican holds in its secret compartments and libraries. Some pointed to the Vatican knowing all the future catastrophes that will occur as well as the time of the Apocalypse, while others pointed to the archives containing documents on extraterrestrial life. In fact, all that was hidden inside the Vatican were none other than documentaries and cases archived by the Knights of the True Cross throughout its existence. The Pope in charge was responsible for protecting the exorcist archives from the public—because there are discoveries and knowledge that humanity could not handle because of their dark nature. Besides, who would want to know that demons exist?

Yukio crossed towards the main halls, where tourists were constantly present. St. Peter's Basilica was constantly hoarded with curious tourists; thus it was mandatory for exorcists to roam within the crowds to ensure no one were to discover one of their secrets just by exploring. Yukio looked from near the walls, which were decorated with such complex and detailed designs it baffled him that humanity built this cathedral in a time where no machinery and tools were available. There were marble statues of angels and saints throughout the walls of the building. Their marble visages were chiselled by perfect hands and minds. There were also paintings and carvings of angels and holy symbols all around the high ceiling domes. Most of the paintings had arches decorated in gold which illuminated the walls nearby with warm light, along with the high arched ceilings which were also decorated with complex and complicated patterns too perfect for mere humans to make. Yukio swore there must have been heavenly guidance or something given to the architects who built this cathedral—because it was too perfect. Words cannot even be close to describing how much meticulous designs were carved on the walls of the Vatican headquarters.

He turned down a hall that was prohibited for tourists and briskly made his way at the end of the hall, where two exorcists stood beside a large, metal door covered in large bolts. The exorcists stood in front of the door to block access and demanded Yukio's identity. He flashed his exorcist badge and I.D, then the exorcists proceeded to strip Yukio of his weapons by frisking him while he handed over his gear. The exorcist holding his gear opened a door beside the metal one and proceeded to lock away his belongings in the vault. After Yukio was cleared, the exorcists demanded his reason for accessing the Vatican archives.

"I've come to do some thorough research on a case I'm investigating," Yukio said in English. "All I require is to access the newspaper files of suspected demonic activity."

The exorcists verified his reason and considered it valid. The exorcists stepped aside from the door. One punched in a code on a screen beside him and a green light lit up above the door. Yukio stood still as he heard the mechanical sounds of the elevator slowly rising up to the floor. With a loud beep, the elevator stopped and the metal door opened apart, allowing Yukio into the elevator. One of the exorcists punched in the code again and the designated floor and the door closed and the elevator slowly moved down. Yukio looked around himself and saw that the elevator was also made of metal, and on the walls surrounding it, there were carved seals and sigils around to prevent any demons from entering. Even the metallic material of the elevator was an alloy with holy silver.

All means of protection was imposed in this place because there was too much sensitive information in the archives that can throw the world into hell if demons got their claws on it.

With the screech of rusty metal, the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened on one of the walls. Yukio stepped out and was immediately frisked again for weapons and anything suspicious. He was asked for his identity and then was allowed access. He made his way through the underground hall, which was lit up by ancient looking torches on the walls. He came to another door and imputed the pass-code on the pin-pad beside it and the door rose up. Through it stood a very modern-looking space. There were fluorescent lights lined up on the high ceilings and computers lined up along the walls. In the centre, surrounded by bulletproof glass was where the most sensitive information stood, where only senior exorcists had access to. The whole room rose up to many storeys of books, documenting the many demonic cases exorcists throughout history recorded. Every detail about demons has been preserved in order to widen the Order's knowledge on them. Yukio made his way to one of the computers. He clicked on the mouse and the screen lit up with the logo of the Knights of the True Cross. The logo faded away and the login username and password boxes faded into view. Yukio entered his username and password and was logged on. Yukio's eyes glowed as he observed the screen, clicking on the icon to the archives. He narrowed in his search and clicked on a program with a database for scanned newspaper articles. Yukio moved the mouse over and the cursor moved to the search engine space and typed.

_If she were a demon or... something, she must have stirred some suspicion. I_ _think it's time I know who my students really are._

Yukio had his fingers on the keyboard, but they didn't move as he was stumped on what to search.

_If she possessed someone, it would be obvious that she would act stranger than normal._

Yukio typed strange behaviour.

5484895 matches.

Yukio tried to think of something else to add to the search, because five million cases will be too much to look at. Yukio added what would happen to victims in a typical possession. Normally, after the victim is possessed, the demon will likely disappear from the victim's life and fulfil its own.

Yukio typed it in with missing people.

1672145 matches.

It was still not enough information. He could be looking for hours through these articles and waste his time, there must be another piece of detail he must add.

He typed unusual deaths.

37546 matches.

Female.

9587 matches.

Yukio moved his mouse over and the cursor moved on the screen towards the search result. He clicked on it and the page loaded with titles of the articles.

_"Body of female dug up after funeral."_

_"Woman disappears after strange behaviour surfaces. Pronounced dead."_

_"Friend of deceased female claims he witnessed her at a temple."_

_"Young girl, 10, driven to suicide. Strange behaviour present before death."_

_"Female disappears after pronounced dead."_

Yukio pinched the bridge of his nose and took off his glasses and set them aside. He rubbed his temples and looked at the screen in frustration. There was just no way to zone in on her. There are too many cases to look at. If only the names of the victims were revealed, then it would have been easier.

Yukio's eyes snapped open.

He didn't bother putting his glasses back on and typed in something he should've done in the first place.

Hana Tanaka.

1 match.

* * *

"Alright, I'll just say this plainly: I was transferred from the Vatican headquarters to the Japanese branch," Shura said as she scratched her head and plopped herself on top of the teacher's desk, then crossed her legs. She formed a bubbly, welcoming smile and added, "in case you don't know, my real name's Shura Kirigakure, and I'm 18! Nice to meet ya!"

Shura broke up in laughter at what she said. "Nyah ha ha! Well, actually, you've known me as Yamada for the past months! But from today onwards, were gonna have some fun!" She laughed some more after that.

The students were a little confused at what the new teacher was throwing at them, except for Shima. He merely stared at her in awe and thoroughly observed her figure from head to toe. Ryuji swore Renzo never took his eyes off her chest. Of course it would be hard to resist staring at her because of her revealing clothes.

Shura wore a lacy black bra too small for her large breasts with an unbuttoned, shortened exorcist jacket over her shoulders. She also wore jean daisy dukes, and fishnet stockings that reached up to her thighs. Of course—she wore no top.

"Okay, lessee..." Shura brought up a clipboard to her face and examined the paper on it. "—Looks like I'll be teaching you magic circles n' seals and... swordsmanship? Man, what a pain in the ass!"

"Kirigakure-sensei?" Kamiki stood up from her seat and raised her hand up beside her. "What happened to Neuhaus-sensei, our magic circles n' seals instructor?"

Shura fanned her hand at Izumo. "It's nothin' too serious for you to worry about. He had to go on—uh—" Shura came up with whatever popped in her head. "—maternity leave!"

Izumo frowned and smacked her palm on the desk. "Neuhaus-sensei is a _man_!"

"—Then make that _paternity_ leave! Oh man, what a pain... Geez, I ain't the type that knows everything!" Shura spoke between herself and Izumo, which made the latter only even more confused and unimpressed.

"Kirigakure-sensei?" Another voice spoke out. This time it belonged to Suguro.

"Yes, what is it?" Shura asked Suguro when he stood up.

"Why have you dressed up as a student all those months?" Suguro asked.

"Man, it's like you kids are investigating me like I'm some sort of criminal. What I was is all in the past now, it's all just adult stuff kids don't understand."

Ryuji gaped in offence at what she said. "What the hell do you mean by us "_kids_"?!" Ryuji snapped.

As Ryuji rambled on one how much of a mature man he was, Shiemi could only gaze in wonder at the doorway, which was still shut with no sign of Rin rushing in as per usual. Her emerald eyes glinted in worry. Did this new teacher named Shura Kirigakure put Rin into a state of conflict where he can no longer attend cram school any more?

"He'll be here any moment. He's always late for class," Amitiel added after she noticed Shiemi was in a state of uneasiness. Shiemi hadn't noticed until now that Amitiel moved seats. She turned to Amitiel, who was sitting in Rin's place—right beside hers. Shiemi seemed surprised at first that she moved beside her of all 30 empty seats in the room, but what she said after surprised her even more.

"You don't need to hide yourself from me," Amitiel said, sensing uneasiness from the shy blond. To be honest, Shiemi was deeply intimidated by Amitiel—mainly because she was the complete opposite of herself. It was as if she and Amitiel were mirror reflections of themselves personality-wise, only that one seemed to be vibrant and colourful in nature while the other was cold and bland.

"Besides," Amitiel bit her lower lip. "You don't need to be so nervous around me... because I consider you as my friend."

_Huh...?_ Shiemi was too shocked to take in what Amitiel just said. "I-I'm... y-your _friend_!?"

"Of course you are," Amitiel responded, feeling warm inside. "Everyone here... are my friends."

Shiemi blushed intensely. Her face was a deep red as she covered her mouth and felt the back of her eyes prick with tears of happiness. "T-T-Thank you, T-Tanaka-san...! I-I'm... so grateful!"

Everyone was startled into silence when the door slammed open and hit the wall. Everyone looked and saw Rin, with messy uncombed hair and an unevenly buttoned white shirt. His tie wasn't even properly made. His sword wrapped in its red cover sagged on his shoulder as Rin stood awkwardly beside the door, with a frown crossed upon his face.

"I-I'm sorry as usual... I didn't get much sleep yesterday...so I overslept again... this time all the way through home room..." Rin grumbled frustratingly. "—and no one bothered to wake me up..."

"Well, it sure is nice to see you again!" Shura exclaimed, which snapped Rin right out of it.

"Huh?" Rin blinked then recognized the new teacher. "What the hell?! Why are _you_ here!?"

Shura frowned, offended. "Geez, never mind what I said! Go pick a spot and sit yer ass on it. I ain't mad about you being late."

"Really...?!" Rin blinked in confusion. He proceeded to his usual spot beside Shiemi while keeping his suspicious eyes on Shura. Rin stopped dead after he looked back at his seat since something, or someone, stopped him.

Rin and Amitiel both stared at each other for a quiet second.

"Since when do you sit here?" Rin asked bluntly.

"Ever since you showed up late everyday. Shiemi's been lonely, so I'm keeping her company because I'm her friend." Amitiel leaned back on her seat, her arms over her head, and crossed her legs.

"Hey! I was her friend in the first place, dummy!" Rin shouted indignantly. "Go sit somewhere else!"

"First come first serve... dummy," Amitiel said with a straight face.

Rin exhaled as calmly as he could. "Alright then, you're asking for it then."

Rin proceeded by sliding across her desk and pushed Amitiel towards Shiemi. The two girls squeezed together as Rin tried to get his butt on Amitiel's (or Rin's) chair.

"Hey! Move your stupid ass, dumbass!" Rin shouted angrily as he struggled.

Amitiel tried to push him off, "you first!"

The other students and Shiemi stood still and quiet as the fight went on. Shura crossed her arms firmly. "Are you guys friggin' _two_ or something?" Shura asked, almost embarrassed.

Amitiel stopped fighting Rin and responded, "actually I'm more than ten _thousand_—"

"Yes, I am!" Rin admitted.

"Well, whatever. You two can fight all you like, jus' don't scream like yer dying." Shura paused and put her finger on her on lip. "Actually, sending you to Mephisto seems more promising." Shura nodded at her own suggestion. Amitiel and Rin stopped struggling for the seat and improvised on sharing it. Amitiel swore she witnessed a small smirk on Rin's lips when he looked at her without eye contact. Shiemi, on the other hand, was too euphoric on the fact that two people, who considered her their friends, were fighting over a seat beside her.

Shura smiled and giggled to herself. "Man, being in charge feels so _badass_. I'm like some god."

Shiemi turned to Rin across Amitiel and asked, "Rin, are you okay?"

Rin grumbled for a moment but immediately looked up at her and smiled warmly, "nah, I'm fine." But there was something about Shiemi's expression that made Rin ask the same thing. "What's wrong?"

Shiemi smiled back, "ah, i-it's nothing. I'm just relieved you're okay!"

"Me too," Amitiel added. Rin saw no expression on her face, but the softness of her brown eyes indicated otherwise.

Rin smiled and opened up his textbook to whatever page he needed. He also had to improvise on sharing it with Amitiel. In the same seat.

"Hey," Ryuji whispered beside Shima. "He seems so damn different for some reason. Did he actually start to grow up?"

"I dunno," Shima said with a shrug.

"Alright chumps! Let's get this crap done already!" Shura said in a more commanding tone. Everyone began to believe her position as an instructor will get her carried away. Big time. "Let's get started by reading on geomancy in introductory seal theory, on page 32. I'm giving the reading spotlight to Mr. Always-Late Okumura!"

Rin took out his hair clip from his pockets and flipped his bangs over and clipped them into place. _You got it, teach!_

Rin puffed out his cheeks and began reading, well, at least that's what he was trying to do. "Uh... Geo... Geomancy... as found... in anc...cient... doc...docu... uh..."

"Documents," Shura corrected.

"Nope. He seems the same," Shima said.

"Yep, my bad," Ryuji added.

* * *

1 match.

Yukio's heart skipped multiple beats at what popped up on the screen. His fingers trembled for his glasses and managed to pick them up. He placed them on his eyes and immediately shuffled himself comfortably in his seat. He had a feeling he was going to be here awhile. Yukio placed his trembling hands on the mouse and scrolled over and clicked on the link. The scanned print popped up and loaded on the bright screen. The first thing Yukio's eyes picked up on was a black and white image of the young girl when she was alive. She had soft, dark brown eyes and jet-black wavy hair. There was a bubbly, colourful smile on her face.

But something about her was shockingly similar.

Yukio couldn't believe what he was seeing. This girl looked identical to his student. Except the black hair, but despite the colour—it still had the same wavy style. Her eyes were still its dark, brown colour, but there was vibrancy in them instead of a dull stare. Yukio pulled out his suitcase on his laps and opened it. He filed through the papers in a hurry and pulled up his student's information. He placed the paper where Amitiel's photo was on the screen and compared her's and the subject's faces.

Yukio's eyes widened and he gasped.

Despite the obvious changes in expression, what he saw proved everything.

They're the same person. From the eyes, nose, chin, eyebrows—_everything._

Yukio proceeded to read the article. What shocked him the most was the first sentence of the article.

"_OSAKA—December 27th, 1994. Patient Tanaka Hana disappears after pronounced dead in hospital._"

Yukio's heart suddenly stopped. A heavy void hung around it, pressing it harder to the point he was going to feel sick.

"What... is _this_?" Yukio was startled. There was also information stating she was born on July 18... 1978. That was 31 years ago! Not only is her information false, but also her age!

Yukio was in so much shock he had to pause for a moment and covered his mouth.

It was no doubt about it. That clear face of the girl was the exact one he sees everyday in his dorm. But the fact she also had the same name only proved his suspicions even more.

Yukio placed his hands on his head as worry and confusion coursed through his mind. _Just what is going on?_

Only one thing's for sure: Tanaka Hana is a_ fraud._

It must be a demon. Or... _Something._

Yukio saw at the corner of the screen the option to print the article. He rushed over to the printer and collected it. He took one more look at the photo of Hana, then briskly walked over to his computer, logged out of everything, and shoved the article in his suitcase with Amitiel's I.D sheet. He proceeded in a hurry back to the entrance and picked up his weapons before heading back through one of the doors to True Cross Academy with his keys.

As he proceeded to Mephisto's office, there was something else about the information he discovered that stirred more questions.

Why did she die on the day and year he was born?

* * *

When classes were done, the students made their way back to their dorms, while Amitiel and Rin walked to their rooms in the abandoned boys' dormitory. It still felt awkward that a girl was living with Rin and Yukio under the same roof. Rin was first to reach his dorm while Amitiel's was a few storeys up. Once they arrived at Rin's door he unlocked it and entered. The first thing Rin had to say was simple.

"Ah, finally! I can sleep again!" Rin said as he inhaled a breath of dusty air and plopped back onto his bed. At that, there was a loud screech coming from under the covers and Rin hadn't noticed he fell on a moving bump. Rin immediately jumped off and Kuro emerged from under the covers, sleep crusted the corners of the cat's eyes as he rubbed them with his paw.

_"Rin! Watch where you're falling!"_ Kuro meowed in pain.

"Oh! Sorry, buddy!" Rin said apologetically as he stroked Kuro. "I didn't see you under my—HEY!" Rin frowned soon after and crossed his arms. "You're not allowed to sleep on my bed! You'll get fur all over the place!"

"_That bed over there is so hard it hurts my back_." Kuro yawned. Rin looked at Kuro's little kitty bed beside the door, then back at Kuro with a disconcerted stare. He couldn't do anything but sigh in defeat. It was true that bed was a little stiff. Yukio was cheap that way. If Rin had the money, he'd buy Kuro a nice comfy _kotatsu_.

"Anyways, did you miss me?" Rin said as he set his sword on his bed and took off his uniform jacket and hung it up on the coat-hanger by the other side of the door. He rolled up his sleeves and sat back down on his bed beside Kuro.

_"I was bored out of my mind so I decided to sleep._" Kuro meowed and Rin tickled him under his chin. Kuro purred loudly. _"But I'm certainly not bored of my petting sessions!"_ Kuro added.

Rin laughed which made him look a little funny in front of Amitiel, who had no idea what Rin was doing.

"Sorry I left you alone for a bit, stuff happened." Rin stopped petting him.

Kuro nodded in understanding but stopped when he saw Amitiel.

At the sight of her, Kuro's fur on his back stood on end and he arched his back. He backed up as he snapped. _"Rin! Why is _she_ here?"_

Rin saw Kuro's angered expression and he looked back at Amitiel, who stood innocent and confused in his point of view.

Amitiel then caught the demon cat's stare and proceeding to stare back. "Why is that demon glaring at me like that?"

_"I can smell something bad a mile away, lady!"_ Kuro growled. "_You take one more step towards Rin—_" Kuro started.

"Hey, enough, she's just a friend of mine!" Rin cut him off.

Kuro continued to glare viciously at her against Rin's words. Amitiel also maintained her cold, emotionless gaze at him and blinked, a spark of light in her pupils appeared. Kuro recoiled in fear. Not at what she was, but because he didn't know_ what_ she was—including the extent of her power. Kuro backed up and growled, standing behind Rin on the bed.

"Whoa, I'm assuming you aren't a cat-person?" Rin made an "o" with his mouth, a little taken aback at their hostility towards each other.

"More like I'm not a demon-person." Amitiel looked away and walked out of the dorm. What she said physically hurt him in the chest as he felt his heart knot up with guilt. Rin ran up to catch her but ended up outside the dorm.

"So what happened back at the park?" Amitiel changed the topic, looking back at him with a side-glance.

Rin blinked in confusion, then he shook his head and scratched it from the back while wearing a goofy smirk. "Oh, nothing! I just, uh, had to have a talk with Shura." Rin stopped and knew what he was saying wasn't truthful enough, because he knew how well Amitiel could tell he was lying. It's disturbing actually. "—And by talk I mean some sort of interrogation!" Rin spat out the truth.

Amitiel's eyebrows furrowed while her eyes widened. She turned her head to him. "Are you okay?"

Rin saw worry in her brown eyes, he actually saw something in her.

"Yah, I'm fine. She stabbed me in the chest with her sword, but no biggie." Rin pulled part of his shirt away, revealing his wound, wrapped up in bandage, on the upper region of his breast. There was blood leaking through the bandage, but only managed to soak through the deepest layer. The blood only looked brown.

Amitiel approached him when she saw the bandage. Rin felt his cheeks blush hard as she touched his wound and observed it. Goosebumps pricked the back of his neck and arms as her soft fingers trailed around his stab wound.

"You could've died," she said, frowning.

"But I didn't, see?" Rin laughed, almost frantically.

Amitiel looked up at Rin with sincere brown eyes. There was a glow from them as the sunset filled the hallway with red and orange light. He saw... Life in her.

"Rin... I was so worried about you..." Amitiel backed up as she bowed her head down. "... when she dragged you away like that."

"Me?"

"I don't know why," Amitiel pursed her lips together and grabbed her upper arm. "It's just whenever someone hurt you, I just wanted to hurt them back." Amitiel closed her eyes and felt her nails dig into her arm. She looked at him again and she saw only sorrow in his deep azure eyes, but also guilt. Rin only felt shame as flashbacks of all the times he put his friends in danger crawled back into his mind. Amitiel tilted her head to the side as gloom grew in her brown eyes. She lifted her hand up and placed it gently on the side of his face. Rin's blushing intensified as he felt her warm, soft hand cup his cheek.

"I don't ever want to see someone I know get hurt," Amitiel whispered sincerely.

The moment she said that, Rin's blushing immediately died out. Rin looked down in disgrace as he took her hand and moved it away from his cheek. He only closed his guilt-ridden eyes to shield them from being seen by Amitiel.

"... I'm sorry," Rin turned back to the doorway to his room. He paused with a shaky exhale as he added, "... but you don't know me as well as you think you do."

Amitiel stood dead as Rin walked in and closed the door on her. She stood abandoned and alone in the cold, illuminated hallway. There's was a look of distress and neglect on her face. It was no longer a stoic, hard one, but a sad, hurting one.

Amitiel didn't move for a while after she whispered to the door, "... you don't know me either, Rin."

* * *

**A/N: Hey everybody! Please read this because it is SUPER IMPORTANT FOR FUTURE CHAPTERS. I'll be going on hiatus again since university started and that I also have a job! I'm NOT DISCONTINUING THIS STORY! I never will! I'll try my best to find some time to post more chapters but my monthly schedule will not work so I'm sorry but I won't post anything for the time being until I figure out a way around this tight uni/work schedule. Sorry for upsetting everyone but please bear with me. My DA is on hiatus too but I'll still respond to messages etc. so come talk to me I'm bored lol**

**Thank you everyone for all of your support, it seriously makes me so grateful to have amazing followers like you guys.**

**Me: If I could draw something for everyone of you I totally would!**

**me: ...**

**me: ...**

**me: ...**

**me: ... Actually that's not a bad idea.**

**/runs away/**


	22. Chapter 21: Inner Angels

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 21: Inner Angels**_

* * *

**Rin only felt pain, both in his heart and in his fists.** His clenched hands where dripping with blood, with some of it on Rin's cheek. A look of pure anguish and hatred burned in his eyes as he panted heavily, as if trying to calm the burning fire in his soul, yet it just seemed to grow larger as Rin stared over at the other boy on his hands and knees, who was screaming and crying as he grabbed his bloody nose. The teachers nearby, petrified by Rin's unruly and dangerous behaviour, huddled behind the class entrance. From there they tried to calm Rin down, yet he only reacted by throwing books, toys and even a table at the teachers who were only trying to help him. The paramedics that had arrived on scene even refused to come get the bleeding boy without being hit by objects, so the boy had to struggle to stand and ran to the paramedics, leaving a trail of splatters of blood on the wooden floor.

"Stay away from me!" Rin cried out.

The adults took the matter into their own hands and called forth Rin's father, Shiro Fujimoto. They insisted desperately that he should control Rin's unnatural behaviour. They remained behind the entrance; their hands trembled in fear and their minds were tinged with desperation.

"Rin!" Shiro called out to Rin from across the classroom.

Rin's anger suddenly died away as guilt consumed him. "D-daddy..." Rin shook.

"Do you realize what you've done? Because of your inability to control your anger, you broke that poor boy's nose. Now he has to suffer in the hospital!" Shiro snapped.

Rin's anger returned. "He deserved it! He called me a demon! It wasn't my fault!" Rin screamed insistently.

"It IS your fault, Rin!" Shiro yelled back. Rin gasped and yelled louder, this time his anger caused his black pupils to slit a little and his fangs came out as well. Shiro felt absolute terror when he saw Rin's demonic side come out, even if it was only briefly. It would be even worse if he went up in blue flames. The priest breathed and looked back at the nervous teachers. "You'll need to step back—this could get bloody."

The teachers became even more petrified. "H-how can you handle a child like that? He certainly does seem like a demon!"

Shiro proceeded towards Rin, calm and collected, as the latter screamed uncontrollably, insisting that Shiro should back away. "Stay away from me!"

Shiro stood tall before him. Everything went silent until Shiro fell on his knees and wrapped his arms around Rin to restrain him. Rin reacted violently by pounding his fists on Shiro and hitting him so hard in the chest, the force he created knocked Shiro's glasses off the bridge of his nose and he gasped.

Rin immediately stopped when he heard his father whimper in pain, yet he was still embracing him.

Rin's eyes teared up a little as he looked at his father and whispered, "D-Daddy...?"

Shiro collapsed on the floor with a bleeding nose.

* * *

Rin had to hear from the paramedics that he had just broken some of Shiro's ribs, and had to be taken to the hospital. Rin bawled the whole way to the hospital while he sat by his father's side as the van rushed through traffic.

There was silence between Shiro and Rin when they arrived, despite how busy it was in the hospital. Rin ran with the doctors as they loaded Shiro onto a gurney and took him to some room Rin couldn't go in after the doctors stopped him. A nurse had to lead him in the waiting area where he sat restlessly on one of the uncomfortable seats in the lobby. The nurse tried to distract Rin by giving him a colouring book but he refused. He only wanted to know if his father was okay. It was because of him that he was in this state. It wasn't the first time he had hurt his old man, but when he actually managed to hurt him in a way that threw him in the hospital, Rin had never felt so guilty like this. It was killing him.

Rin paced himself back and forth, swung his tiny legs, and even attempted to tie his shoelaces on one of his old, banged-up sneakers. The nurse had noticed Rin's wounds before-hand and treated him by cleaning the blood off his face and hands, and placed bandages all over his legs and arms. After a while, the doctor came and escorted Rin to Shiro's recovery room. There was a part of Rin that hesitated, mainly because he felt he was too guilty to be in his father's presence, but another part wanted to know if he was okay. Rin wrapped himself in his arms as he followed the doctor to Shiro. As soon as Rin saw his father bedridden, he lost it. Tears welled up in his eyes as he ran to his father's side, crying uncontrollably. He threw his arms out and grabbed the covers over Shiro and pulled them. He buried his soaked face in them and sobbed. He gasped when Shiro looked at him and placed his hand over Rin's head, stroking it. Rin looked up at Shiro and saw he was smiling.

"What's with the waterfalls in your eyes? I ain't dead, y'know!" Shiro laughed but recoiled in pain and clutched the side of his abdomen. Rin winced, as if he felt Shiro's pain too.

"D-daddy! I-I'm so sorry!" Rin cried out.

"Take it easy there, kid." Shiro rubbed his thumb under Rin's swollen blue eye and wiped his hot tears away. "I've kicked some serious demon butts but THAT was one hell of a fight coming from a 5-year-old!" Shiro said.

Rin couldn't help but chuckle nervously at his father's usual demon-kicking jokes, even though he believed Shiro never even fought one since they don't exist.

Rin tried to force a smile but his tears only caused him to whimper as he hugged Shiro's arm.

"I'll leave you two be," the doctor said then exited the room.

Shiro and Rin remained silent for a moment, but then something humorous came to Shiro's mind. "Y'know, this'll be a great story to tell on Father's day! Imagine those kids' faces when you tell them you punched your friend in the face and broke my precious ribs!" Shiro chuckled, fighting the pain in his side.

"He's not my friend! I'll... Never forgive Keiji for calling me a demon!" Rin cried out and stomped his feet.

"Then why do you believe what he says? You don't actually believe him, do you?" Shiro asked.

Rin sniffed and wiped his wet nose, leaving clear snot all over his arm. "I-It's just... I-I've always felt s-so different from everyone..." Rin rubbed his left eye.

Shiro smiled sadly at Rin. He shuffled himself to stand up and put his arms out to Rin. "C'mere."

Rin sniffled and grabbed on to his father's arms and he climbed onto the bed and sat beside Shiro. Shiro sat up and had Rin sit across from him. "Listen, kid, you are different, and that's good! Remember what I told you back there?"

""U-Use my power for something good"?" Rin murmured. His innocent blue eyes shone with hope.

"Correct." Shiro nodded. "That's what you need to do. Forget about those that judge you. You know why? Because they just don't understand you. Prove to them you are more than what they think."

"O-Okay..." Rin sniffed and wiped his tears away. Shiro smiled when Rin crawled over the sheets and curled beside Shiro. The father wrapped his arm around Rin's little body and pulled him close into a warm hug.

"You know that daddy loves you for who you are, right?" Shiro added.

Rin nodded his head and buried his wet face in Shiro's chest, soaking his shirt. Shiro allowed Rin to enjoy a few minutes of relaxing silence. He looked down at Rin and stroked his hair. The sunlight coming from the window allowed him to see that bluish tint in Rin's hair.

The priest attempted to fall asleep when Rin spoke again.

"Daddy, if I am so different, is it true? Am I really a demon like everyone says?" Rin said sheepishly and clutched the sheets.

"What kind of ridiculous question is that?" Shiro laughed, then winced in pain.

"Because Keiji wasn't the only one who called me a demon. There was that girl in my other daycare, and the previous one before that..." Rin bowed his head down and buried his face in his hands. The priest reached over for Rin's tiny chin and lifted his gaze up.

"That's not true, Rin. I know that as a fact," Shiro responded, but he felt a heavy weight in his chest.

Rin smiled weakly. A part of him tried to believe what Shiro said, but the message those kids gave him seemed much more convincing then Shiro's. Rin was having a hard time believing his own _father_. He hadn't known the truth until it was too late. When his demonic powers awakened, Shiro had to pay the price for lying to him his whole life.

_You knew you were wrong, right, Dad?_

* * *

Rin's eyes snapped open. All he saw was darkness, except for the moonlight shining through the windows in the dorm. He looked around the room from his bed and heard only the eerie whisper of the wind from outside. Yukio was sleeping peacefully; his breathing was steady and quiet. Rin shook his head and turned around to face the wall against the bed, grabbing the covers and pulling them over his shoulder. Rin proceeded by closing his eyes but all he could see and think was not sleep but his memories of Shiro Fujimoto replaying in his head. Then Mephisto and Shura emerged, along with something they've said that remained glued to Rin.

_I'm raising the child of Satan to be used as a weapon for the Order._

_If I determined that it had something related with Satan, I was commanded to immediately terminate the threat._

Rin turned around and faced the ceiling. He clasped his hands behind his head and thought some more. He could see Amaimon, and himself, devoured in blue flames, as he rampaged among the park, almost injuring Shiemi in the process when he only tried to save her.

It was pointless.

Rin bolted up from his bed and threw his arms up. _Godammit, I can't friggin' sleep!_ He also knocked Kuro over in the process and he fell on the floor.

Kuro awoke in a second and saw Rin throw the covers off himself and got up, proceeding to the door.

_"Rin, are you going out again? I'm coming too!" _Kuro meowed.

"Fine, but be quiet. Yukio's still sleeping. He'll skin me alive if he wakes up!" Rin whispered as quietly as he can to save himself.

When Rin and Kuro walked out, Yukio's eyes opened.

* * *

Rin rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he walked to the stairway. He had been suffering from insomnia ever since he had his encounter with Shura. Every night, he would get up and go to the top of the building, where he can sit down and reflect on everything while staring at the glittering cityscape of Tokyo before him. Kuro had followed him too, mainly just to keep him company.

Rin took his time to reach the staircase to wake himself up. He rubbed his eyes again and yawned even though he was not tired. Rin opened his eyes and gasped and he leaped back. Rin came face to face with Amitiel.

"Why are you awake?" Amitiel said, arms crossed. Just like Rin, she couldn't sleep either, because sleeping to her was considered boring and a waste of time. Plus she didn't need sleep to stay alive.

Rin felt his heart pound at his chest. Not because he was around her, but because he understood how much of a truth-seeker she was. "Oh! Uh, I-I have to go take a leak...?" Rin squeaked.

Amitiel furrowed her eyebrows. "Stop lying, besides, the bathrooms are that way." Amitiel pointed in the opposite direction. Rin's cheeks flushed red. "Now tell me the truth. What's wrong? You look... troubled." Amitiel tilted he head to the side and waited for his response.

Rin tried to make up another excuse but her cold stare forced the truth out of him.

Rin finally sighed. "I-I just...need some alone time...with myself."

Amitiel remained still. "Is this about you and the trouble you got from that exorcist?"

Rin shook his head. "No, it's not Shura, I'm just... uncomfortable with myself right now, so now I can't sleep." Rin said with a low bow of his head. He had tried so many times, yet the image of himself as a monster couldn't stop terrorizing him, to the point he had nightmares or just had bad thoughts that prevented him from sleeping.

Amitiel just stood there staring at Rin. Her angelic instincts kicked in suddenly when she could see his pain. Even though the only pain she could feel was physical, she understood what mental pain was—thanks to Raziel lecturing her about the topic. She knew she had the urge to ease his pain, but what can she do to help him? She knew he thought of her as a... stoic person, yet she couldn't help being honest with herself and everyone else. Amitiel continued to remain silent when Rin looked up and his deep blue eyes met hers. There was so much sincerity in them, Amitiel was surprised.

"Hana," Rin whispered. "I know you are the most honest person I've ever met, so tell me... do you think I'm a bad person?"

"—Just because you got into trouble?" She asked.

"No, just... Just by what you know about me, do I seem—" Rin gulped as he looked down. "—Evil...?"

Amitiel paused and thought before she responded. "Why would you think like that about yourself?" Amitiel unfolded her arms and looked at Rin with honest sincerity. "You're not a bad person, Rin. I've met much worse people and you are nothing compared to what I've seen."

Rin looked up at her and stared into her dark brown eyes. He had never seen this much concern in her. He could just tell by the way her eyes looked at him that she was worried about him.

Amitiel looked away for a moment. "... I might not know you completely, but from what I can tell you are a good example of a strong person. You wouldn't hesitate to support others...a-and me..." Amitiel swallowed as she had an uncomfortable sensation in her stomach. Her memory of when she hurt Rin during her illness when he was just trying to support her caused her to feel a knot in her stomach. Amitiel swallowed and forced herself to continue finishing her sentence. "I won't ever judge you, Rin, I promise. This is the truth."

Despite her sincere honesty, Rin had trouble believing her words, and asked himself what's the point of asking her if she doesn't even know who he really was? If only she knew about his origin, the whole truth about himself... would her honest answer be different? He felt he was asking her a blind question, without her seeing the truth to decide. He wanted so badly to tell everyone of his "secret", yet he trembled in fear at what they might think. He was terrified of losing them, and it was killing him to hide all this from them, yet at the same time, it might be killing him if he did tell them.

Rin always wondered why he had to go through this, become the cursed son of Satan. No matter how hard he tried, he could never see himself as good. His fate was already sealed after all by the Vatican and the exorcists—that he was born to be a monster.

"Humans all have their... inner demons," Amitiel added, and that caught Rin's attention. He completely agreed at that, except he was literally a demon himself. "That's what make them human," Amitiel continued. "But Rin, it all matters on how you control them. Don't let yourself think that you're a terrible person, do you know why? Because it's your inner demons trying to tempt you into thinking that. If you believe them, eventually, you will be a bad person. You need to think of your inner angels, because every person has good in them too, y'know? Do you have good?"

"...How can I know?" Rin asked.

"Because your friends think of you as a good person, and that shows you're trying to become one. If you're still not happy with what you are, you can change into a better person," Amitiel said.

"Really?" Rin's face lit up. _She thinks... I'm good?_ He felt a warm feeling in his heart.

"We all have potential to be evil, but that doesn't mean we don't have the potential to be good," Amitiel spoke softly. "Just be honest with yourself, Rin. Don't always believe what your inner demon tells you, try and listen to your angel, it will help you combat against your demon."

"I...Thanks, Hana!" Rin smiled confidently once more, and Amitiel just stood there with a blank face, yet her eyes looked somewhat calmed.

As they walked past each other, Amitiel added, "now try and get some sleep, we have a long day tomorrow."

Rin looked back to say something but when he did Amitiel was already gone.

* * *

The cool midnight wind brushed through his hair as Rin sat atop the dormitory rooftops. He could see the lively city of Tokyo in the horizon. The buildings and streets were lit up despite it being two in the morning. Rin could hear the distant sound of the cars passing through the streets; to be honest, this was quite relaxing to him. Rin brought his knees up to his face and observed peacefully, while recollecting what Amitiel said and related it to what Shiro said back in that daycare.

Kuro leaped up on Rin's back and meowed, _"Rin, why are you up so early all the time?"_

Rin turned his head to Kuro and replied, "I just couldn't sleep, that's all."

"_But you've done this for a week now,"_ Kuro said, worried.

"Sorry if I worried you. I was just thinking about my dad." Rin looked back at the cityscape with a weak smile.

_"Dad? You mean Shiro?"_ Kuro asked.

"Yah," Rin said, then his smile faded away.

_After Rin pounded his fists against Shiro's body, Shiro yelped in pain and sucked in his breath. Yet even though he was in pain from Rin breaking his ribs, he didn't stop embracing Rin._

_"D-daddy...?" Rin squeaked._

_"Gotcha!" Shiro laughed. "Did I scare you?"_

_"B-But—!" Rin started but Shiro put his hand over the back of Rin's head and pulled him closer in a tight embrace._

_"Listen, Rin, if you keep this up, someday you will find yourself all alone." Shiro closed his eyes and Rin began to whimper. "That power of yours: use it for an act of kindness."_

_Rin sniffled._

_"I want you to be surrounded by many friends someday, where you become the cool guy the girls are dying for." Shiro paused. "If you keep up your current attitude, then you will live a miserable life, Rin."_

_Rin was shocked at what Shiro was saying, so much that he was confused. "... H-how? How can I become a better person?"_

_Shiro smiled and released Rin. He placed his hands on Rin's tiny shoulders and looked him in the eyes with confidence. "Struggle! You'll never know if you can become a better person unless you struggle to be one. Then one day you'll look back and realized the accomplishments you've made."_

_Rin was speechless for a moment until Shiro collapsed on the floor from his broken ribs._

_"Someone call an ambulance!" Shiro yelled with a bleeding nose._

Rin finally understood what Shiro said. If he and Amitiel had confidence in him to become a better person, then maybe he can if he tried.

_Old man, I think I can really change._ Rin thought as a wide, confidant smile spread across his face and he jumped up. He picked up the wooden sword Shura gave him and pointed it at the city.

_Honestly, I swear my brain's so tiny I won't figure it out all by myself. But all I can do right now, is keep moving forward!_

Rin looked at Kuro on his shoulder and asked, "hey, Kuro, wanna play?"

Kuro grinned in excitement as he jumped off and said, "_yah! Let's play!_"

"Here I come!" Rin readied himself and Kuro morphed into his giant demon form. Rin smiled proudly as he and Kuro sparred.

* * *

Yukio was deeply thankful that he had no classes to teach at cram school, because the moment he walked out of his last class when the bell rang, he rushed to his locker where he slipped on his exorcist uniform and grabbed his briefcase with all the evidence regarding his discovery, and charged straight for Mephisto's office at the top of True Cross Academy. His hands sweated and his whole body shook by tension and his mind coursed anxiously. When he came upon Mephisto's office, he stood shaking at the doorway. He raised his hand at the door but he stopped. He was afraid of what Mephisto's reaction would be if he just laid out his findings. He knew the king of time made no mistakes, and when he finds out the only mistake he made by allowing a demon near Rin, Mephisto will unleash hell upon Hana _and _Yukio.

Yukio huffed in a shaky manner and knocked on the door. The brass plate with the name Johann Faust V was engraved in the metal, and Yukio could see his tense face through the reflection.

Yukio's heart skipped when he heard a hearty voice respond, "come in!"

Yukio puffed up his chest and walked in while maintaining a professional, calm composure. "Excuse me for the intrusion."

When Yukio saw Mephisto's office, he couldn't help but admire it. There was a Victorian style that added a charm to it. There was a seating area in front of Mephisto's desk, where the sofas were stuffed with an elegant striped white, purple, and black pattern along with intricately carved legs and plush pillows. In the centre of the seating arrangement was a small, round coffee table draped with a silky white cloth with a china set and a vase of roses sitting on it. There was also a small bowl containing many candies wrapped in shiny wrapping.

The walls were painted a very deep, blood red, with black framing connecting it to the ceiling and flooring, which was shiny, dark mahogany-brown wood. The wall behind Mephisto's desk had four large, tall windows overlooking the academy and city, with majestic black drapes adorning them. There was also pictures of the previous headmasters of the academy on one wall and portraits of the most notable members of the Knights of the True Cross, including Shiro Fujimoto.

"It's a surprise to see you here. Does something trouble you?" Mephisto asked and turned around from looking at the scenery through the windows.

"I'm afraid yes," Yukio said then proceeded towards the desk and laid down his suitcase. Mephisto sat down on the velvety red chair behind his desk and drummed his fingers on the desk. He watched as Yukio pulled out a folder and laid it in front of Mephisto.

"I've found something quite unsettling regarding one of the students you've accepted."

Mephisto looked at Yukio, unworried. He took the file and opened it, there was the information sheet about Hana Tanaka and beside it was a copy of a newspaper article. Mephisto frowned as Yukio said, "explain this. This Hana Tanaka, born July 18, 1978, DIED December 27, 1994."

Mephisto compared the two pictures of the same person and came about a little surprised, but more interested. "Hmm, what an interesting discovery."

"Who is this girl you've enrolled into the academy?" Yukio put his hands on Mephisto's desk. "Better yet, what is it?"

Mephisto exhaled calmly and closed the file. "I know what she is."

Yukio didn't feel relieved about that. "You do? Then tell me. Is she an enemy? A demon?"

Mephisto pushed the file away towards Yukio. "Ah, it's not that important." Mephisto leaned back and folded his legs while placing his hands on his knees. "She's quite far from your enemy, but she's one of my nemesis. You could say our kinds are in a feud. Although, her kind is considered much more formidable to demons."

"Then she is a threat, to myself and my brother," Yukio concluded.

Mephisto slowly shook his head. "Do not be so disconcerted about what I said. I never said her kind was more _powerful._"

"If she is your enemy—why haven't you taken any action?" Yukio was frustrated.

"Because I already am," Mephisto replied calmly. "I know what I am doing—no need for you to remind me. All this time I've kept an eye on her in case she would stir any trouble."

Yukio looked away for a moment then frowned at Mephisto. "Then tell me what I must do to destroy her."

"How about... _nothing_!" Mephisto smiled and raised his hands up and shrugged his shoulders.

"What? How can you possibly do _nothing_ when something more dangerous than demons is around my brother right now?!" Yukio was yelling now. "I need to stop her from coming any closer to my brother!"

"But it won't be easy, you see." Mephisto said lowly.

"Why?" Yukio inquired as Mephisto stood up from his seat and looked out the window with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Do you not pay attention? I'm a demon and I know more about human behaviour than you," Mephisto said as he looked out.

"What are you saying?"

Mephisto looked over his shoulder. "What I'm saying is: Okumura-kun is _fond_ of her."

Yukio's eyes widened. He realized it now.

"You may rid her whenever you wish, just bear in mind it will not be so easy now with your brother in the way."

Yukio frowned intensely at Mephisto's reply. Of course it wouldn't be so easy. The part of ridding her would be easy, but ridding Rin from her would be challenging, considering how stubborn Rin was.

Yukio remained silent with frustration, until he urged himself to reply, "... thank you."

Yukio bowed and exited the office, when the door clicked shut, Mephisto looked back and sat on his desk. He proceeded to finish some paperwork and grabbed a pen. He proceeded to write and repeatedly tapped the pen whenever he was thinking. The corner of Mephisto's lip twitched up and he tapped the pen harder and harder, until the demon crushed it into pieces in his hand. Black ink dripped from the bottom of his fist, and small drops plopped on the desk, all over his paperwork and stained his purple gloves. The ink tainted his hands, the paper, and desk like blood.

Mephisto grit his teeth but only let out a sadistic smirk.

* * *

"A notable, though controversial, human being that ruled over the people of Jerusalem, King Solomon, was able to rebuild the Temple by means of demonic summoning, thus he was the one of the first tamers and a great contributor to the development of other special demonic seals to aid in summoning, such as the Key of Solomon. According to historians, King Solomon summoned many demons to help rebuild the Temple that was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II during the siege of Jerusalem in 587 BC. He summoned demons using a magic circle that was gifted to him by the Archangel Michael—"

Amitiel stopped and frowned. "... This is incorrect. The seal was actually bestowed upon him by the demon Thoth*. Michael would never aid a human if it involved demons."

Amitiel leaned back on the bench and thought. She looked around her after. There was fresh green grass everywhere and there were students walking out and about around the school campus. Amitiel thought it was more relaxing to study outside on a sunny day, plus she could also people-watch, which was one of her pastimes.

Amitiel went back to focusing on her reading after a short pause and looked at the reference list at the back of the textbook. She saw the name of the publisher who added this false information King Solomon and added, "I should see this person and correct them."

It wasn't the first time Amitiel saw mistakes in the books she studied. Though it was understandable, since angels have been so quiet. She wished she and the other angels could directly tell people about the truth behind their history, but angels thought it would be best if humans learned through studies. Even though it was inaccurate in her opinion.

Amitiel stretched her arms and exhaled. She flipped the page to the next section and began reading. She folded her legs as she observed the images and the text. Amitiel went so deep into the reading she didn't notice someone sat beside her. When Amitiel recognized that aura she was so familiar with. She looked aside and found Mephisto Pheles calmly whistling.

"What a lovely day today, don't you think?" Mephisto stopped whistling and looked down at Amitiel. She slowly closed her book and brought her laps together. There was something about his aura that didn't seem safe at all. In fact, it's almost as if she was feeling _threatened._

"Um...of course," Amitiel managed to say.

"Do you know what I really dislike? When things are not in order as I imagine," Mephisto spoke while smiling. "When that happens, I do everything I can to punish those who disrupt the balance that I have so carefully built in this academy."

Amitiel felt shivers running up her spine, raising the hairs on the back of her neck on end. Amitiel slowly reached for one of her blades as Mephisto remained distracted by observing the people walking by them. By the time she touched her blade, she swung it straight at Mephisto's face but she suddenly felt his grip on her hand. Amitiel yelped when he clenched his hand, crushing her own. Amitiel was forced to drop her blade and Mephisto pushed her back down onto the bench.

"If you want to remain alive, I suggest you _back down,_" Mephisto smiled, yet it was threatening at the same time.

Amitiel frowned derisively despite her hand was crushed. Mephisto calmed down as the two remained sitting on the bench, as if nothing was wrong between them. Amitiel wanted to call for help but she knew it was pointless when everything around her and Mephisto stopped.

All _time_ stopped around them.

"Telling someone off won't help," Mephisto said while still gripping her broken hand. "I am the director—I can not be convicted to assault that easily. Besides, you would have had proof if only you didn't heal so fast. How unfortunate."

Amitiel huffed when she felt the bones on her hand reattach and heal. She whispered lowly, "Release me..."

Amitiel shut up when he tightened his grip around her hand and she grit her teeth in anger.

"You stupid little angel. Did you really believe you could sneak in under my surveillance? I've known who you are and I've watched you very closely ever since you got near Okumura Rin-kun," Mephisto growled. "Now, I cannot kill you, because it seems he has grown attached to you, and it would be a shame to see a drenching farewell."

Amitiel glared but remained silent. She calmed herself down and tried to signal for help. She closed her eyes and summoned Raziel. She knew that angels could also travel across time, thus she knew Raziel could hear her call.

_Raziel... help me._

"I was thinking of mutilating you myself, but I will leave Okumura-kun for that. He is the one you should be afraid of," Mephisto added.

Amitiel's eyes widened at what he said. Was he talking about Rin? Why would he say something like that? How can Rin, the goofy, clueless human, potentially be more dangerous than herself?

In a flash second, Raziel stood before Mephisto and Amitiel. At the sight of him, Mephisto released her hand and Amitiel disappeared beside him and appeared right beside Raziel. There was a nasty glare across her face and she unsheathed one of her blades with her unwounded hand.

"_Samael_."

"_Raziel_. Your 'daughter' and I had a _wonderful_ conversation." Mephisto smiled innocently, with a tinge of madness.

"I am afraid this conversion has ended. Come along, _Amitiel_," Raziel said and the two angels walked away. Time moved again and everything around them was alive again. People, birds, the wind: everything was moving again.

When Raziel and Amitiel were far away, Raziel frowned derisively. "You are _foolish_ to be fiddling around with him. He is one the deadliest amongst Satan's children."

Amitiel looked down and clasped her broken hand, and she couldn't help but shiver uncontrollably. She didn't understand why she was shaking so much, and why she felt this much terror.

* * *

"Hey, Four-Eyes! What do you want for dinner?" Rin said as he stood in the kitchen with his hands on his hips. "I could make some sushi if you want, or maybe some_ Yakisoba_ with shrimp?" Rin touched his lip, thinking.

Yukio shrugged his shoulders as he responded, "I don't mind. Do what you want." Yukio flipped the page of his favourite magazine. On the cover was a picture of an anime character along with the big bubbly title SQ.

"I won't until I ask Hana what she wants," Rin said and pulled out his phone, but he stopped when he heard the door slam shut and Amitiel walked briskly by. She stopped when she saw the twins. Rin smiled and waved a spatula. "Hey! I was gonna ask what you want for dinner!"

Amitiel stared at him but ran out before he could do anything. Rin and Yukio looked at each other in utter confusion. Yukio stood up to follow suspiciously, but was beaten when Rin charged and said, "I'll go see what's wrong."

"Nii-san, wait! She's dangerous—!" Yukio stopped himself and thought on how he should tell Rin what he discovered about Hana. With that said, Yukio followed.

"Hana! Wait up!" Rin ran after Amitiel. She sprinted down the hallway and managed to reach her dorm.

Amitiel ran in and attempted to shut the door but Rin stomped his foot in the doorway, blocking the door. Amitiel grit her teeth. Rin's eyes widened when he saw her badly bruised hand.

"Hey, your hand," Rin noted.

Amitiel gasped and covered her hand under her armpit.

"Gimme your hand!" Rin demanded.

Rin grabbed her hand and pulled it away. Amitiel whimpered and Rin realized he squeezed to hard even though he didn't even try.

Rin released her and pleaded, "I-I'm sorry!... Sorry..."

Amitiel hid it under her armpit and looked away.

"I'm sorry. Please, I just want to look at it," Rin said more softly.

Amitiel remained silent and eyed him. She hesitated but reluctantly showed her hand.

Rin was stunned speechless. There was purple, red, and yellow blotches of bruises around her forehand and fingers and it was also swelled up around the palm. It looked just like his hands when he got into his usual fights in school, except it seems Hana's hand was hurt in the process of whatever she was doing.

Rin asked while inspecting her hand. "...who did this?"

"No one...I, uh, hit it against something," Amitiel choked.

"You're a really bad liar." Rin frowned at her. "You have bruises everywhere. Hana, who did this?" Rin insisted.

Amitiel cringed in pain but also in guilt when she attempted to lie. She felt sick to her stomach after that. That's why she would never lie.

Rin stared at her and saw the pain she was in. Rin sucked in his breath as anger flared in his eyes. Rin clenched his fists and walked around the room, running his hands through his hair, almost yanking it out out of pure anger. That was one thing that pissed Rin off to no end: whenever he sees his friends and loved ones hurt.

"I am gonna kick this bastard's ass _so hard_..."

"I'm fine, Rin, really. This... is nothing to me." Amitiel smiled weakly but looked down. While it was true she suffered worse, the terror she felt was unfathomable for her to be okay.

"Hana, don't smile and think this is alright. Tell me! Who did this?!" Rin yelled and grasped her shoulders and shook her a little.

Amitiel pursed her lips and looked up at him with tired eyes. "... A demon."

Rin looked at her sadly.

"Come on, I'll have Yukio treat this..." Rin spoke.

When the two made their way to the door, Yukio walked in. He saw Amitiel's hand in Rin's and his brother asked, "could you get some bandages?"

Yukio didn't hesitate and brought his first aid kit to Amitiel's dorm. He swathed her hand in the bandages provided. "I'll have the hospital provide a cast for you—"

"I don't need one." Amitiel cut him off.

"But your injury—"

"I said I don't need one," Amitiel said more forcefully. She pulled her hand away and looked at both brothers. "I'm sorry, but the trip is tomorrow and I have no time to deal with some insignificant injury."

Yukio and Rin exchanged glances, and Yukio backed down. "Alright, then."

Yukio packed his things and stood up, holding the kit with one hand. "I'll leave you alone, then."

"Thank you," Amitiel wrapped herself in her arms and didn't dare look in the twins' eyes.

Yukio led Rin to the doorway with him, but Rin couldn't stop looking back at Amitiel as she laid her body down on her bed. Yukio closed the door and said, "we should have supper without her. I'll bring her plate when it's ready."

Rin frowned and reluctantly agreed.

As the two went back to the kitchen, Yukio could spot his suitcase containing Hana's information sitting on the dinner table. Rin made his way into the kitchen and proceeded to cook supper while Yukio sat down and stared at the suitcase in front of him. A little voice in his head urged him to open it and show his findings to Rin. He knew it would be fair for both him and Rin to know about Hana's false identity, but he was concerned on how Rin would react in this matter. Yukio kept in mind on what Mephisto said and he knew Rin would lash back at him.

But Yukio had to tell him, regardless.

Yukio grabbed the case and opened it. He pulled out the file and walked over to his brother, who was busy peeling shrimp and boiling the noodles for Yakisoba.

Without saying anything, Yukio dropped the file in front of Rin.

"What's this?" Rin questioned.

"I need you to sit down."

"No, tell me what this is!"

Yukio sighed and said, "open it."

Rin flipped through the file and saw Amitiel's picture, along with a printed newspaper article with her face below the headline.

"W-What is this?" Rin was stunned.

Yukio sighed. "This is the truth."

"What truth?!" Rin yelled. Yukio knew he was frustrated enough as it is.

"See the date on the article, that was in 1994. See that picture? This girl died on that year."

When Rin studied the article and file, his eyes widened. "No way—! Is that—!"

"Yes... that girl's name is Hana Tanaka, the exact same one that lives within this dorm."

"W-what are you saying...?" Rin gasped and backed away from the file, and looked at Yukio in shocked disbelief.

Yukio crossed his fingers and set them on the kitchen table. He tried to calm his brother down by being as gentle as possible. "I'm saying Hana Tanaka is not human. Nii-san, that girl you've hung around with is... is a _demon_."

Rin looked at the file, then at Yukio. There was a slight laugh that came out of his mouth. "... You're just screwing with me."

"I'm sure you noticed her fast healing, her vast intelligence on demons, especially that strange condition she went through... those are _not_ normal," Yukio said.

"How can you say this?" Rin's voice cracked. "Why the hell are you accusing Hana of being a demon?! What has she ever done to you to deserve this?!" Rin was yelling now.

"Can't you see?!" Yukio raised his voice too. He tapped vigorously on the photos. "These pictures are the _same person_! I can't let you near her anymore. If she is a demon, she will come after you and—well— she'll do something that will put your life in jeopardy!... I swore upon father's grave to protect you from things like her. I can't let you near her ever again."

"You can't stop me, Yukio!" Rin grit his teeth, baring his sharp fangs. "I don't need your constant protection! Hana has done a whole lot more for me than you have ever done! So don't you dare say I should just abandon her after you've—" Rin choked up. "—After you put a gun to my head and told me to die!" Rin huffed. "You... you abandoned _me!_ Your own brother! Hana never left my side, but you—!"

Rin stopped and saw how hurt Yukio had become. And he also realized the mistake he did. Yukio breathed and looked around, his breathing increased until he spun around and punched the wall, breaking through it. Rin was shocked when Yukio pulled it out and his hand was dripping with his own blood. Yukio stared at it while panting.

"Y-Yukio—! Your hand—" Rin gasped.

"Do what you want." Yukio's bangs hid his eyes. "Mephisto was right all along."

"About what?"

"You are fond of her, aren't you?" Yukio asked.

Rin breathed and paused while frowning intensely. "... I am," he responded.

Yukio sat down and held his sore, bleeding hand. "... I guess no matter what I do, I just can't stop you..." Yukio opened his first aid kit and grabbed the bandages again. Rin bit his lip and moved forward. He grabbed the bandage and began wrapping his brother's hand in them. Yukio didn't say anything.

"Do what you want, I'm not gonna babysit you forever. If you think this is right, then go ahead," Yukio said sharply and reluctantly. Rin knew he was against what he wanted.

The brothers hadn't noticed that Amitiel was sitting against the wall outside the kitchen, far away to prevent them from noticing, but just close enough to hear the entire conversation.

* * *

**A/N: I'M BACK AGAIN. I'M SO SORRY FOR THE 2 MONTH HIATUS. BLAME UNIVERSITY TT^TT**

***calms down* okay... so I have study week(no school) so i had time to write this chapter. As you can see, I personally find it choppy since it has multiple changes of scene. I guess it's because so many things are happening in this fic that I'm having a hard time organizing it all lol**

**I tried to use this concept of inner demons/angels as a parallel to what I'm suffering from right now. If you have depression/anxiety, I'm sure you have moments when you hate yourself so much it actually feels like its killing you. I have moments like this all the time, so I always told myself its my inner demons screwing with me, but I never ignore the fact that i have the potential to be a good person. If I just thought about the negative parts of me, then all i'll see is the evil part of me. So I always look deep within myself and think about what makes me a good person, in other words, finding my inner angel.**

**blah blah blah more angsty text blah blah**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter even though I feel so unsatisfied with it.**

***Thoth IS a demon on magick, but the part with Solomon is entirely made up.**


	23. Chapter 22: Secreta post Secreta

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

**_天使の火__—_**_**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 22: Secreta post Secreta**_

* * *

**Today was the last day before summer break began.** Rin had eagerly awaited this day to come and planned a whole bunch of activities he and his brother, along with his classmates, could do to spend their summer. He thought that he and the others could frequently hang around at _Ponchan_ and eat their famous _monjayaki_. Rin also booked some tickets to Mepphyland for him and Shiemi, as promised back during the time they searched for the ghost. Rin was so ecstatic about summer break that Yukio felt guilty of informing him he won't be having summer break as an exorcist-in-training. When he told his older brother, Rin's warm, innocent smile suddenly died away as pure disappointment washed away his happiness.

"I'm sorry, but this is what being an exorcist is like. We get no breaks," Yukio said apologetically. "On the bright side, your assignments will become more hands-on," he added, hoping to cheer his brother up.

Rin frowned as he looked at the two tickets he got for him and Shiemi. He wanted to invite her a week from now, but now he might not even be able to go the amusement park at all.

Rin tore the tickets in half and tossed them in the garbage beside his study desk.

Not only did Rin have to cancel everything he arranged, but he was indignant on the fact that he still has to struggle out of bed for cram school while most of the students are off sleeping. Rin decided since middle school that he was not going to attend high school and earn his diploma, because he knew the world wouldn't want a trouble-maker like him who always got into fights. Rin had worked at several jobs but was fired by all of them because of his careless behaviour. He knew he had a rotten attitude, but it seemed no matter how hard he tried to fit in with society, he still stood out as a delinquent. Rin always got suspended from middle school, and he certainly would get expelled in high school. Thus, Rin decided to jump into the workplace as soon as he finished, but circumstances caused a change of plans.

Here he is, at the one place he never wished to attend: high school.

And then cram school.

He never thought he would find himself studying to become an exorcist, but fate forced him to.

"Oh my god," Rin moaned as he plopped on his bed. The heavy beaten up textbook he held fell on his chest with a thump and Rin gasped and coughed as dust blew out from in-between the pages into his face. Rin frowned and tossed the book across his bed and just relaxed, leaving his legs limp and dangling from the side of the bed. He glanced at the book beside him one more time than shook his head and reached over to the stacks of manga piled up beside his bed and night stand and picked one at random. He figured he deserved a study break after hours of studying. Then Rin checked the time when he started and when he stopped studying.

Only 15 minutes passed.

Rin was going to not only give up on studying, but life in general. "OH MY FRIGGIN' GOD. WHY!?" Rin smacked his forehead with the manga. "Why is it so hard to study?!" He looked at the textbook beside him again than pushed his gaze away from it.

Instead, Rin smiled in a goofy way and convinced himself within a second that he deserved twenty-four hours of break time. He rested his head on the pillow and crossed his legs while laying on the bed. He opened the most recent volume of his favourite manga and began reading, unaware that he was wasting time until it was too late. A thought struck his head about Yukio and something he said while Rin was still half-asleep, but Rin shook that thought away.

After a few hours, Yukio walked in, wearing his usual exorcist uniform. He strolled in and watched Rin as his face was buried deep in the manga pages. Yukio approached him slowly until he heard shuddering whimpers coming from Rin. Yukio stopped and asked, "Nii-san, are you... crying... again?"

Rin's eyes popped open and he looked innocently at his younger twin brother. His eyes were glassy and his lips quivered as tears rolled down his rosy cheeks.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Yukio was worried and approached his brother with care.

Rin slapped the manga shut and wailed, "of course I'm hurt! Why did Kenshin have to die?! Just when he decides to marry Haruke, his cancer just _had_ to kill him off! God, this is _torture_!"

"Nii-san," Yukio looked bored. "It's a story. Relax."

Rin shot Yukio an evil glare which quickly dissipated when he saw Amitiel stand outside the doorway.

Amitiel looked at the rim around the doorway and noticed it was no longer a dark brown wood but more like a mud red. Amitiel frowned slightly but discarded that insignificant detail.

Rin felt his heart drop, he also noticed his eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks were red from sobbing. He quickly rubbed his face to make his face red all over and to cover up his red cheeks and rubbed his eyes vigorously.

"Are you guys ready to go? We have to meet Kirigakure-sensei down at the academy midway station," Amitiel said, throwing her backpack over her shoulder. "And be sure to wear the special training boots Mephisto assigned us, Rin."

Rin's heart dropped again and he managed to look at her, but then he lost his confidence and looked away sadly. "O-okay..." Was all he could say. Amitiel noticed how uncomfortable he looked just by seeing her. In truth, she felt a little hurt.

Rin slowly got up and stretched, then realized he was nowhere near to being ready. His hair was a messy wad and he was still in his pajamas. There was also a dry trail of drool running down the corner of his mouth.

"Uh, j-just give me a minute to get ready..." Rin immediately began shoving clothes and supplies in his bag while Yukio sighed in disbelief and rubbed his temples.

"I told you 2 hours ago to get ready and you wasted your time reading my manga..." Yukio crossed his arms.

"Hey! At least I value reading more than I used too!" Rin protested.

"They're just pictures, Nii-san..."

"But there are words, too, Smarty-Pants!" Rin shouted back. He looked at Amitiel again and saw she was still standing outside the dorm. "Uh, y-you don't need to stay out there forever..." Rin shot a quick glance at Yukio, Yukio looked a little displeased.

_What is up with Rin?_ Amitiel asked herself. _This... isn't like him at all_. Amitiel shot a glance at Yukio as he packed Rin's things and thought about last night. _Did Yukio... tell Rin to keep his distance from me...?_

Amitiel came back to reality and realized Rin invited her to come in, but he seemed so hesitant. She nodded and took a step but a feeling coursed through her body and mind, and Amitiel instinctively stepped back and breathed heavily. She looked around the rim and realized she almost made a mistake. Rin and Yukio saw how dazed she was as she observed the rim of their doorway.

"Hana?" Rin called.

Yukio frowned.

Amitiel's eyes shot back at Rin and she quickly replied, "y-yes?"

"A-Are you gonna come in or not?" Rin asked.

"Oh? Uh..." Amitiel hesitated but didn't dare take a step in, because she was physically incapable to do so. There was an invisible barrier that prevented her from entering. It may appear invisible to the twins, but to her it looked as if she were standing in front of a solid wall. She realized now that it wasn't dark red paint on the rim of the doorway.

It was _lamb's blood_.

Amitiel fidgeted before she replied nervously, "I-I think I'll just stay out here..."

Rin was confused of her strange behaviour, but a part of Rin fell silent as something important ran across his mind.

_Is Hana trying to avoid me or something?_ Rin thought, recalling his and Yukio's argument and how Yukio wished he should stay away from her. Did Yukio threaten Hana to stay way from him?

_He... doesn't want me near him at all huh..._ Amitiel thought as she stared at Yukio, who was busy helping Rin pack his things. Her bland stare turned into a dark glower as she kept her darkened brown eyes on Yukio. She remembered every detail of the brothers' argument she eavesdropped on and recalled the information Yukio found about her.

Yukio knows what she is. Did he put up that barrier to protect himself and Rin? Why?

_If he really does know about me then—_

"Alright!" Rin forced a smile, patted his bag, and slung it over his shoulder. He slipped on the training boots he got from Mephisto and proceeded to the doorway where Hana stood.

Yukio observed Rin and Amitiel and saw how dazed and colourless their faces were. Rin was trying really hard to hide it with his usual smile, but it never seemed so forced until now.

Rin stepped closer towards Amitiel but she recoiled immediately, as if she felt endangered. Rin also stopped himself right before she reacted. When she did, Rin was taken aback by her sudden behaviour. Before Rin could say anything Amitiel looked away, forcing him to do the same as he looked down at his boots. Yukio stepped out of the dorm and locked the door. The brothers weren't aware that Amitiel was maintaining a threatening stare on Yukio.

"We should be okay for a few nights. Just try to conserve as much as you can, okay, Nii-san?" Yukio said and Rin brushed away what he said.

Amitiel was first to move. As she passed by Yukio, she shot him the most dangerous and deadly glare he had ever seen. His heart palpitated from a sense of fear as their eyes crossed each others' paths. Yukio looked back, appalled, as Amitiel walked away before the twins. It felt as if he stood face to face with fear itself.

"Hey, what's up with her?" Rin scratched his head in confusion, then noticed how ghostly white Yukio had become.

_If he really does know about me then..._ Amitiel thought. _I have no choice but to eliminate him._

* * *

The trio walked down the long steps in front of the academy entrance. The bell rang and students poured out of the front doors. The train station flooded with students and the street in front of the school entrance was overflowed with taxi cars.

The three looked around them as students ran down the stairs to catch up with the train or taxis, and others talked and hugged before bidding farewell to their friends.

"Okumura!" Rin heard his name being called.

Rin looked ahead and saw Konekomaru waiving eagerly at him. Rin smiled and ran down the steps to catch up with him. "This is the first time we've seen each other outside cram school!" Rin shouted, excited. He also noticed Suguro and Shima accompanied Konekomaru, all of them carried large bags and wore the same long, black and red, military-style boots.

As the group continued to walk down the stairway, Rin recalled, "hey! You three are from Kyoto, right? Is it as pretty as they say?"

Suguro seemed bored. "It's not that special."

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Shima spotted Izumo and Paku.

"Be sure to call me once in a while!" Izumo said as she took Paku's hands.

"I'm not going to be gone forever, Izumo-chan," Paku smiled sweetly, "but I will keep in touch with you!"

The two hugged each other while Suguro volunteered to help Paku load her suitcase in the back trunk of the taxi.

Paku climbed in the back of the car and waved at the others as the taxi drove away.

"See ya!" Rin called out.

The students watched and waved as the taxi rolled away until it was no longer visible among the traffic.

Once everyone settled down, Shura arrived on scene, confirming Yukio to begin.

"Now that we're all here, I'd like to let you know that even though it's summer break, you Exwires will be participating in a camp. For three days, you will all be training in the academy's forest district," Yukio said formerly.

"Kirigakure-san and I will accompany you," Yukio added as Shura greeted everyone with a wave of her hand.

Yukio smiled. "This camp will determine whether or not you are prepared to participate in a real mission, so do your best."

"All righty!"

"Hell yeah!"

"Okay!"

* * *

The academy's forest district was what was expected to be. It was a mass of thick, tall trees with plush green leaves and bunches of bushes scattered among the forest. It was a popular tourist spot and a great place for camping and hiking. There were many small bridges built over small rivers and creeks and some of the forest was cleared out to make hiking trails. The Exwires walked further into the forest and as they travelled further in, the chirps and sounds of birds and other animals increased in frequency. The rustling of trees as the warm summer air brushed through them and the trickling of water over rocks put the Exwires at ease with nature as it surrounded them.

Except for Suguro.

"I thought we were training to be exorcists... this feels like I'm marching in the army!" Ryuji growled.

"It's so hot..." Konekomaru gasped as he wiped the sweat off his forehead, while Shima continuously repeated, "I'm dying..."

Izumo, on her part, was complaining about all the mosquitoes flying around her.

Amitiel was bored.

Shiemi watched as Rin exclaimed eagerly when he spotted a waterfall.

"Oh look! It's a mini waterfall! Can I drink it!?" Rin shouted as he put his hands under the water. The soothing cold water felt nice to the touch.

"Nii-san, no," Yukio said.

"Why's he so energetic?! He even carries double the stuff everyone has!" Shima exclaimed in shock.

"Oh, 90% of that is my stuff," Shura added as she clasped her hands behind her neck and strolled without worry.

"What the hell?! And he can carry all that!?" Shima yelled.

"What? He didn't mind and I got all aches all over by back, so I gave it all to him," Shura smiled.

"I swear this guy's a demon..." Ryuji added.

"This is just like a picnic! Hey, Hana! Isn't this just so fun?!" Rin laughed without looking back at Amitiel.

Amitiel remained silent. She kept her gaze away from him. After putting a lot of thought into what Yukio said to Rin, she really thought staying away from him would be the best, because Amitiel knew she didn't have much time on this planet much longer. Her mission will soon be accomplished and she would have to leave.

She began to regret becoming close with the Exwires and Rin. She began to believe Raziel's word on staying away from the Exwires was right.

"Hey! There's a big empty spot over there!" Izumo called out as she pointed ahead of her. When the Exwires came out of the forest, they all stood in front of an empty spot with no trees and only shrubs and grass grew over hardened dirt and rocks.

Yukio stopped and looked around him, "this looks like a good spot to set up camp. We'll stop here."

As soon as Yukio finished, some of the students fell on their knees and gasped and all of them dropped their belongings. Shima fell back and landed onto the dirt, gasping desperately for air. Shiemi and Izumo put their hands on their knees as they panted, while Rin and Amitiel stood standing and unexhausted.

Everyone relaxed and took an hour to regain their energy as Yukio filled in the details about their next lesson.

"Alright, listen up. While the forest may seem benevolent during the day, it becomes a den for low-level demons at night." Yukio began unbuttoning his exorcist cassock as he spoke. "We'll need to set up base before dusk. I've arranged the boys to set up the tents and gather wood for a fire, while the girls will prepare the protective barrier around the tents and make dinner, as instructed by Shura-san." Yukio tossed his coat behind him, revealing his bare arms as he put his hands on his hips.

"Let's begin!" Yukio said while the others gaped in surprise.

"He actually took his coat off," Ryuji said, stunned sarcastically.

"That means it really is hot out here! I thought he wasn't human!" Shima cooed sarcastically.

Everyone moved to their positions. Amitiel and Rin ended up passing by each other, but before that, they stared at each other briefly then they both looked away a little uncomfortably.

The boys put themselves through tedious teamwork and communication as they tried to build the tents according to the manual. Rin insisted the manual was a waste of time and attempted to solve everything by his own, until he tried to secure a wire over the flaps holding it in place and it flung out and hit his face. Ryuji and Yukio agreed to do the complicating part of building it and left Rin to cover the tent with a flysheet. Konekomaru and Shima went into the forest nearby to collect wood, they even convinced Amitiel to hand over her blades so they could cut off branches. She regretted it later and feared she'll find scrapes and scratches on her blades.

"This is so fun!" Rin cheered. "It's like were on a picnic!" Rin patted the tent without controlling how hard he was hitting it.

"Dude, it's called a camp. Have you never been on one?" Ryuji asked, dumbfounded.

"I never went on picnics or camps in school. I bet this feels like both!" Rin smiled like an innocent child.

"By the way, if you keep hitting it like that it'll—"

The tent collapsed before Ryuji could even finish.

"What the hell!? I told ya not to do that!" Ryuji shouted in frustration.

"This is so fun!" Shiemi beamed as she watched the boys while Izumo was trying to concentrate on drawing the barrier.

"They look like they're slacking off," Izumo responded curtly. She looked back down at the book and rubbed her temples in frustration. It was not all because the seal was difficult to paint, especially since it's over several yards long, but because she felt annoyed just by listening to Shiemi's cheery, squeaky voice. "Ugh, this is so tiring... I thought the seal of Ariel was so supposed to align with the seal of Haheuiah for protection but it says here that—"

"It's the seal of Hariel, which is for purification, aligns with Ariel's," Amitiel corrected Izumo. "It's impossible for two angels to power the barrier with the same influence," Amitiel continued to paint the symbols. "They must compliment each other. In this case, Ariel's power of protection defends us against evil with the help of Hariel by purifying our surroundings so that none may remain. If two of the same align, then the power cancels out and there is no effect."

Izumo was silent until Shura winked at Amitiel and applauded. "Yer sure are the studious type, ain't ya?"

Amitiel painted effectively without losing focus. "It's not about being studious, Kirigakure-sensei, it's about being accurate and sharp. This is the real world, y'know."

_I'm... surrounded by the weirdest weirdos on this planet..._ Izumo frowned in annoyance. She was especially annoyed at how much their own instructor was slacking off by playing on her gaming console while also resting on a tree. The clicking noises and sounds coming from the system only made Izumo even more annoyed.

Izumo shook her head and focused back on the barrier, throwing her feelings behind her as she painted the seals. She stopped when she saw that Amitiel had already completed the barrier. Shiemi and Izumo stood speechless as Amitiel wiped her forehead full of sweat and leaned onto the large compass that she used to paint the seals. Izumo observed her work and saw how elegantly painted out the symbols were. It was as if this sort of writing was second nature to Amitiel.

Shura stopped playing on her console when she noticed the barrier was complete. "Holy crap! You kids finished it already! I'd give you bonus points if I could!" Shura beamed and gave Izumo and the other two a thumbs up, even though Amitiel did 97% percent of the work.

Shura jumped off the tree she was resting and clapped her hands. "Alright, the boys should have gathered enough wood to make a fire, so let's start cooking... something!" Shura smiled, clearly showing she had no clue what to do.

* * *

Dusk arrived, and Yukio made a fire so that the girls could prepare some food for supper. Shura, on her part, was too busy playing on her gaming console. She insisted she must beat the boss without distracting herself, so Izumo, Amitiel, and Shiemi were left alone again to make supper. Rin felt his eye twitch anxiously with a hint of longing as he watched the girls do a poor job of cutting the vegetables and not using the appropriate seasonings.

Rin walked over and demanded they let him handle cooking the food. Shiemi and Izumo decided to help Rin by preparing a salad while he did the difficult parts. Rin walked over to sit by Amitiel but she immediately stood up and decided not to help. Rin's heart dropped and it ached deep down inside, maybe because it felt he was being rejected.

Amitiel sat facing the forest and brought her knees up to her chest and she put her arms over them. She huffed in exhaustion and took several minutes to be by herself. She heard the giggles coming from Shiemi and the boys made some jokes with each other, but Amitiel ignored them and focused on what really matters. What matters is that she must stay focused on her mission.

Amitiel gazed along the forest horizon and observed the trees and the darkness creeping out from deep within the woods. There was the constant screeching of crickets and the howls of the owls, but more importantly, she could feel a presence far away from the students. She recognized that aura, but she was wondering why he was there.

Amitiel shut her eyes and squeezed them when she felt another presence beside the first. She recognized it as well, and their intentions became more clear when she realized Rin was in danger again.

Amaimon was back, and with him was Samael.

She knew Samael would never engage in battle due to ruining his reputation as the headmaster of the academy and losing the trust of the Vatican, so she figured he would use Amaimon to bait Rin into attacking him again. It was odd that Amaimon had an obsession with Rin, because the earth king only took an interest towards something unearthly. Was there something about Rin that intrigued him? Amitiel didn't know how to answer that question.

But deep down inside, an uneasiness brewed within her as she began assembling the pieces together, and discovered something she denied.

"Alright! Dinner's ready!" Rin cheered as he stirred the curry one more time then handed out the bowls to each of the students. Amitiel rushed to join them but remained reserved to herself.

The students each took turns pouring some curry in their bowls and waited until each of their bowls were filled. Once ready, Ryuji was first to taste test Rin's cooking. Ryuji popped a spoonful in his mouth and his eyes went wide as he exclaimed, "holy crap! This is amazing! Is this for real?!"

Everyone immediately shoved their spoons in their mouths and blurted out the same reaction.

"This tastes just like heaven! I never thought this flavour even _existed_!" Shima shouted, in love with the food, to the point it actually startled him.

"You'd make an amazing husband, Okumura-kun!" Konekomaru beamed.

Shiemi couldn't wait to swallow her food before she replied, "mmm! Ish is dewishish!"

Rin's cheeks flushed red at everyone's comments. "Yah, well, I do have a talent for cooking!" Rin smiled sheepishly.

"It's Rin's _only_ talent," Yukio teased on the side with a smile.

"Shut the hell up, Mole-Face!" Rin yelled while still maintaining his blushing, sheepish smile, hoping Yukio wouldn't ruin his reputation.

"Give me more, please!" Shiemi passed her empty bowl to Rin and he filled it up.

The students all laughed and talked while Rin smiled in delight as he observed everyone.

_I've never... felt this way before._ Rin thought. Memories of his darker times replayed in his mind, to when he overheard his teachers whispering about how terrified his classmates were of him.

_Rin, if you keep this up, someday you will find yourself all alone._

_That power of yours, use it for an act of kindness._

Rin listened to what Shiro said, and although it started off on the wrong foot when Rin popped a balloon in a tree for a little girl when she only wanted him to give it back, he then improved and even used his demonic strength to lift a car out of the way so an elderly woman could step out of her driveway. Rin also punched one of the students at his school after the bully made fun of a girl who only had a crush on him. Even though he got into trouble, Rin knew he had helped that innocent girl out, even though she hated him after he knocked out her crush.

Rin spent most of his time dozing off in and out of class, so he hadn't realized until this exorcist camp that he had missed out on so much on the joys of school life.

_I get it now... I always skipped class, so I never had a chance to feel this way._

"Hey, Okumura, want a drink?" Suguro asked as he opened the cooler.

Rin zoned out from his thoughts and looked at him. _Is this... what it feels like to have friends?_

"Sure! I'll pick one!" Rin beamed happily. It was the first he felt this peaceful inside.

"Anyone else?" Suguro waved a can of pop around.

"I'll have one," Amitiel raised her hand up.

"Catch!" Suguro tossed the pop can and Amitiel caught it. She looked at it briefly, then shook it vigorously.

"Wait, don't open it—!" Rin yelled but was too late when pop sprayed all over the place and on Amitiel, soaking her hair and clothes. Everyone screamed and backed away until the can was empty.

After a few seconds of silence, the students all laughed while Amitiel continued to stare cluelessly, then looked at the pop can. She was shocked when she felt this urge to smile.

"You're not supposed to shake it, dumbass!" Suguro yelled between laughs. "It sprayed like a hose!"

"I thought every drink had to be shaken first!" Amitiel responded.

"Except pop, dammit!" Suguro yelled.

"Here." Rin passed a towel and Amitiel reluctantly took it and wiped her hair and face. Rin watched as she dried herself off, admiring her toned features of her face and her golden blond hair.

"Thanks," Amitiel said and returned the towel.

Rin smiled shyly, but then he noticed something on her face. "Oh, um, you got some on your—" Rin found himself touching her cheek and wiped some pop off it.

The two stared at each other awkwardly, until Rin broke the silence.

"...I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—" Rin stuttered and blushed heavily.

Amitiel touched her cheek, still feeling his after-touch. "Ah, thank you, Rin."

Rin had the courage to look at her and found her eyes appeared calm and at peace.

"I see everyone nearly finished dinner, so I'll explain the ropes for tonight's training," Yukio said and stood up. The students all rounded together around the camp fire while Yukio spoke. Before he could say something, Shura suddenly laughed loudly and she accidentally threw back her beer can behind her. She didn't seem to notice.

"I double dare ya!" Shura sang. Clearly what she said made no sense.

Yukio sighed heavily and said, "Shura-san, no drinking on the job."

"What?! I'm jus' drinkin' damn water! See?!" Shura pointed at the label, which actually said 'True Cross Beer'.

"Hey! Isn't she 18 years old?!" Ryuji yelled.

Yukio looked clearly confused at that. "Don't be ridiculous. This year, she'll be twenty-si—!"

Yukio stopped abruptly when a beer can hit him from behind and dropped onto the grass.

The group remained silent, clearly Ryuji was embarrassed that his own instructor was drunk on the job. Talk about responsible.

"Oops, my hand slipped," Shura said.

Shura hadn't realized her mistake when Yukio's eyes burned up with anger. All the other students could smell his anger burning in the air around him. "Knock it off and get to work, goddammit!" Yukio screamed.

Yukio immediately cooled down but the students were already damaged by his unusual behaviour. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath before he continued, "anyways... I'll explain the rules now."

"Ooh, he's _so_ pissed!" Shura whispered and fell back on her back and kicked her legs up.

"The rules should be easy to follow. The first thing you'll do is leave the base in all directions. Once you've made it into the forest, you need to search and light up a lantern you'll come across somewhere in the woods and bring them back in three days' time. If you succeed within the time limit, you'll pass the test and are qualified to participate in real missions."

The students all exchanged confident looks until Yukio added, "however, there are only 3 lamps placed 500 meters away from the base. In other words, there are only 3 positions available."

The students all stood agape and disappointed, but also anxious as to whether or not they are able to pass this test with only 3 positions out of the 7 of them.

"But...!" Izumo began to protest.

"Now, I'll explain about the backpacks I'll be handing out to you later," Yukio cut Izumo off. He unloaded the sample bag and neatly organized the items. "This bag will contain all the essential equipment you will need to survive for the next three days. Each contains water, food, hygienic products, a sleeping bag, toilet paper, a compass, a flash light, a demon-repelling bottle rocket, and a match. This is only the minimum needed to survive. As I mentioned earlier, this forest is a nest for low-level demons. You should be able to survive, but just barely. It's the only way to give you students the most experience if you were on a true mission."

Yukio picked up the bottle-rocket. "If you run into some serious danger, light your bottle-rocket and Shura-san or I will come and get you."

"Um, excuse me, Okumura-sensei." Izumo raised her hand after she opened the match box. "Why is there only one match?"

"That way you can't light both the lantern _and_ the rocket. So think very carefully before you use it."

"If you light the lantern as you approach the base, you're disqualified. If your lantern runs out before you can make it to the base, you're also disqualified. Using the bottle-rocket also means disqualification, as well. The lanterns were designed to alert Shura-san and I if it has been lit, so please don't think it is possible to cheat your way into passing. My best advice into passing is to use your strengths to the fullest and overcome your weaknesses."

Yukio smiled and said, "that's all. The test will start in 30 minutes."

"So... I just need to light this tiny lantern, and bring it back? Sounds like a piece of cake!" Rin said confidently.

Rin heard the sound of something being crushed. He saw that Amitiel had the bottle-rocket in her hand. Rin gasped when he noticed it had been crushed to pieces and Amitiel dropped it with a dark, bored look in her eyes.

"Hana! You need that!" Rin shouted.

"I don't need anyone's help," Amitiel's dark brown eyes glowed by the fire.

"What if you get in trouble? How am I gonna reach you?" Rin inquired.

"I said I don't need you help! And that includes you!" Amitiel raised her voice. Rin was startled by that.

Rin pursed his lips as he hesitated to ask her, but his frustration forced him to ask. "You're trying to avoid me, aren't you?"

Amitiel gasped quietly and looked at Rin. She squinted her eyes shut and looked away. "You have been too, right?"

Rin stood speechless. He knew his eyes were telling the truth to her.

"It's Yukio, isn't it..." Amitiel said. "I always knew he disliked me, but... what made him tell you to stay away from me?"

"How did you—?" Rin trailed away.

"I overheard your conversation last night..." Amitiel crossed her arms in a helpless way.

Rin's eyes widened. "P-please don't take Yukio's words seriously... It wasn't anything personal! He's just so protective of me, and he's so worked up about his schooling and career to the point he's just stressed as hell. Just ignore him," Rin implored.

Then something else about his and Yukio's conversation popped in his mind, something he hoped Amitiel didn't overhear.

"I heard everything you guys talked about last night—you think... I'm a demon...?" Amitiel said.

Rin's heart began to throb. He felt his skin form goosebumps and he felt a sudden coldness spread throughout his body. Despite how nervous he was on this touchy subject, Rin blurted out something he wished he hadn't.

"... Are you...?" Rin whispered carefully.

Amitiel paused for a moment by pursing her lips together. This was the moment she wanted to tell him the truth, but she was forbidden to do so. "... Of course not, Rin."

"Then what are you?" Rin responded curtly. She saw that he was more serious now.

Amitiel looked away while looking down at the ground. Her blond hair laid limp beside her face, shielding her sincere eyes. "... I'm on the good side, Rin," she whispered carefully.

Rin looked at her sadly. "I see..." was all Rin said as he walked away.

Both of them felt as if there were secrets among secrets between them, and it was starting to draw them apart.

Rin was startled when Shura threw her arm over his back and dragged him near the border of the protective barrier. Amitiel watched as he and Shura talked quietly while she prepared herself and stood facing the forest in her designated direction.

She fixed her bag over her shoulder and brought her hair up in a pony tail. She also pulled black, military-edition black gloves over her hands. She let out a sigh into the cool night air as she observed the stars above her. There was this feeling in her gut indicating her that something big is going to happen. She believed that her mission is about to reach its turning point as the son of Satan could make an appearance any time now, but with the students and Amitiel currently participating in a camp, how can Amitiel keep up with her mission and the test? Only one thing is for sure: she must protect Rin and the others from the son of Satan.

_Even if I can't tell you everything, Rin, I ... will always protect you._

And with that, Amitiel felt a heavy lump in her throat.

"Hey, you were so pumped earlier. What's with the gloomy face?" Ryuji said as he noticed Rin's upbeat attitude died out after he walked away from Shura. "You scared?" Ryuji teased.

"Hell no!" Rin protested, holding his sword confidently in his sweaty hands. "It's just so nerve-racking!"

"Listen up, everybody!" Ryuji called and caught everyone's attention on him. "This camp was set up for us to compete against each other, which means we'll fail if we even try to cooperate."

Everyone exchanged glances with each other. Amitiel and Izumo didn't seem to care: however, Shima, Konekomaru, Shiemi, and Rin went a little pale.

"We need to prioritize our own success, so whatever you do—don't help each other!" Ryuji said, holding his Mala beads close to his heart.

"Fine by me. There's only three lanterns anyways. I like competition," Izumo huffed confidently and brought her long, straight purple hair in a high ponytail.

"Everyone get in your positions!" Yukio announced and the students broke up and made their way to their locations. Yukio, on the other hand, stood in the centre of the base with his pistol in his hand.

Tensions grew higher by the second as silence swept through each of the students. The rustling of the leaves could not calm down the growing anticipation in each of the students' hearts.

"On you mark, get set—"

BANG.

The students reacted immediately and charged into the forest with their flash lights in their hands. Rin held his wooden sword tightly as he jumped from rock to rock and leaped over a small creek and landed roughly in the mud. He used the branches around him and pushed himself forward, some of them hit him in the face but he didn't dare stop as he kept his eyes open to look for a lantern. He could feel his bag jumping on his back and the goosebumps in his arms form on his skin.

Rin sprinted through the bush with all his might. He was gasping for air but knew he couldn't stop until he finds a lantern. Rin squinted his eyes to focus on a mass of multiple things moving. He thought it was the leaves of a bush moving around but he reconsidered when he felt something soft and furry hit his head. Rin looked back and saw it was a large insect.

_A moth?_ Rin asked himself. _It's huge!_

His eyes widened when he could make out that the mass of moving leaves was actually a horde of flying moths. Rin covered his face with his arms as he charged through the mass of moths.

_Damn, there's so many!_

Meanwhile, the other students were bombarded by the same moths. Izumo, on her part, was screaming in terror as she desperately fetched her summoning papers in her bag. She bit her thumb and smeared them with her blood and quickly chanted, "_Inari,_ _I humbly beseech thee—to grant my request!_"

Her foxes appeared out of a puff of white smoke and immediately began clearing out her way and shielded her from incoming moths.

Konekomaru held his beads tightly as he chanted nervously, "_may... m-may thy generation do God's will...Sleep eternally with thy ancestors...!_"

The moths around him were destroyed on the spot around him.

Amitiel stopped and made the sign of the cross as she chanted something in Latin. The moths all were repelled and exploded around her.

"_Decay... and return to dust!_" Ryuji shouted and the moths were blown away and exploded.

He felt his forehead after he felt something bite it and saw his blood staining his fingers.

_Blood-sucking moths... Chuchi!_

"Nee-chan! Get me some bug repellent!" Shiemi cried out as she tried to wave the moths away from her face. "I can't see where I'm going!"

While Nee was summoning what she requested, a moth grasped Shiemi's summoning paper in her front pocket without her noticing until it was too late. Shiemi gasped when she saw her paper in front of her and two moths grasped the sides and ripped it apart. Shiemi screamed as Nee disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Nee-chan!" Shiemi screamed desperately. She felt a presence loom behind her. When she turned around to see, she let out a terrified, helpless scream.

Rin was first to react and immediately stopped and changed courses towards her cry. "Shiemi!" Rin screamed.

He charged through the blackness of the forest, using his flash light to guide him to Shiemi. He felt his heart throb in his chest as he desperately searched for her. He stopped again when he heard the sounds of hundreds of moths flapping their wings and squeaking. He saw there was a swarm of moths ganging up around something. Rin's heart dropped as he sprinted towards the mass of moths. He jumped into the mass and swung his sword around randomly and frantically.

"Get outta my way!" Rin screamed as he waved his wooden sword around despite how useless it was.

When he managed to clear the moths around an unconscious Shiemi, Rin shook her shoulder but found no response. "Shiemi! Wake up!" Rin pleaded hopelessly.

He saw a trail of blood trickle down her forehead.

Anger boiled in his veins and he burst into violent blue flames, incinerating the moths hovering around him and pushing the others away from him and Shiemi. When he felt the flames lick his body, he realized he made a huge mistake.

_Shit—!_ Rin screamed in his head. He shut his eyes, hugged himself, and desperately tried to cool his head down as he repeatedly whispered, "calm down, calm down, calm down—!"

The damaged had already been done as dozens of moths witnessed his flames and whispered in a gurgly, demonic language, "f-fire of g-g-god..."

Rin opened his eyes and saw a flicker of blue flame slide over his forehand and slowly died away. Rin panted as he tried to recollect himself. After that, he turned his attention back on Shiemi in front of him. He was relieved she didn't get burned by him, but still, even if she was unharmed, he felt a part of him die inside.

_Dammit, I need to control myself..._ Rin grit his teeth in frustration. I… I could've killed her…

"Shiemi...?" Rin said.

Rin's heart skipped a beat when he heard the bushes behind him rustle and the snap of a branch.

He turned around and saw Ryuji, pale and in shock.

"You... what the hell was that?"

* * *

**A/N: holy shit *dead***

**I know I'm a huge pain in the ass because I constantly updated my profile on the due date for this chapter. Seriously, I pushed it back like 31432662161431 times. I don't know how to explain it, but it feels as if my inspiration is dead, so sorry for the crappy grammar and choppy stuff etc. I think I'll come back later and further edit this chapter.**

**Anyways, I passed with flying colours on my exams! YAY! And Christmas was awesome! I got so much chocolate because I have this crazy obsession with it (thank god I'm skinny as fuck).**

**Anyways, I hope everyone had a merry Christmas/joyous Kwanzaa/Happy Hanukkah etc etc and a happy new year! *throws glitter in your face***


	24. Chapter 23: Grenade

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 23: Grenade**_

* * *

**Several minutes after Yukio shot at the sky, the Exwires were separated between heavy masses of forest yards away from each other.** The darkness lurked silently through the trees and bushes, engulfing the Exwires in pitch black night, which forced them on relying only on their flash lights to light the way. Amitiel cautiously charged through the forest, desperately searching for the lanterns as Yukio mentioned. The only important detail about the lanterns that frustrated Amitiel was that he did not answer to what the lanterns looked like, so they may vary in size from the size of her hand to as big as a tree.

Amitiel stopped and looked around herself, using the flash light to point at various spots around her for any sign of a lantern. Amitiel slowly moved the flash light and skimmed the forest around her until she stumbled upon what she thought was a moving shadow in the distance. The light from her flash light was too dim to make out what it was, but she saw it was small and seemed to be floating in the air. Amitiel approached to where she saw the shadow, while placing her hand over one of the hilts of her blades strapped to her thighs. Amitiel's boots crunched a bunch of dry leaves on the cold, hard ground, which startled more shadows around Amitiel. She spun around and pointed the light to the shadows surrounding her and found a crowd of moths clumping together in groups among the tree branches. Amitiel's eyes widened and the moths reacted to the light by shrieking demonically and fluttering and swooping over Amitiel, drawn by the light of her flash light. Amitiel turned the flash light off and swung her blades around her, cutting nearby moths into pieces. The moths were the size of birds and due to their odd sounds, Amitiel assumed they were blood-sucking Chuchi—a demon.

_Great..._ Amitiel frowned in annoyance as she slashed her blades around. _I don't have time for this!_

Amitiel had no choice but to run anywhere to try to lose the pack of moths attacking her in the dark. She dodged and turned to avoid hitting trees or getting a branch in the face (which happened a few times). Amitiel huffed and could hear the moths trailing behind her. She looked back and saw a black mesh of furry wings fluttering behind her.

Amitiel grit her teeth as she skidded to a halt and spun around to face the demons flying on course towards her. Amitiel closed her eyes and brought her hands together as she chanted, "_Inluminatos oculos malum non sunt dignum de videns._"

_Having the eyes of evil are not worthy of seeing._

A flash of bright white light illuminated around Amitiel and the moths surrounding her were incinerated on the spot. Surviving ones screamed in pain as the light pierced their bodies and burned their wings off. Smoke piled up in the air and the toxic stench of animal bodies burning infested the area around Amitiel. There was a gush of wind and the light spread around in waves away from Amitiel. She fell back on the ground and fell on her knees. Her ponytail fell out of place and some of her bangs laid limp over her sweaty forehead. Amitiel sniffed and wiped her nose. As she stood up she observed her fingers and saw blood trailing down them. Amitiel sighed and wiped the rest of the blood off her nose, fetching a cloth in her bag and plugging it up her bleeding nostrils.

Amitiel observed around her and saw the burned up carcasses of the moths. Some of the bodies twitched and Amitiel used her boot and drove it down on one of the moths with its wings still flittering. Amitiel maintained a blank gaze as she pushed down and felt the body of the moth burst under her sole. She sheathed her blades and picked up the bag she had dropped earlier and continued to walk deeper into the darkness.

* * *

Shiemi panted heavily as she sprinted through the bushes. She held her flash light with such hope and confidence it was as if the only thing keeping her alive was only projecting a trail of light ahead of her. If she were separated by Nee, Shiemi knew she would really be in danger. She knew she wasn't as independent and strong like the rest of the students, but one thing she excelled beyond limits is her determination to succeed.

_I must survive! If I am to become strong like Rin and Yuki-chan, this should be easy!_ Shiemi huffed confidently.

Shiemi smiled as she looked at Nee clinging on her shoulder and it squeaked, "_Nee!_"

"We can do this, right, Nee-chan?" Shiemi beamed.

Shiemi gasped when she saw a light radiating through the forest. She stopped and tried to look in the direction but the white light was too bright to look at. Shiemi shielded her eyes with her hand and waited until the light faded away. Once it did, Shiemi's heart began to throb harder as to whether or not it was something dangerous, and whether or not she should run in the other direction.

Nevertheless, there was this feeling in her heart that this light was benevolent. It felt so familiar, like that time she was engulfed in white light when the bouncy-castle structure was falling down on her. Could it be a lantern? Shiemi moved towards the source of the light, pushing away branches from her face and avoiding trees.

Once she got to the spot, she was disappointed to find nothing. Shiemi looked around herself and decided to use her flash light to look around. She flicked it on and pointed at the ground. She did notice there were charred spots on the ground and some spots were still releasing smoke. Shiemi kneeled down and observed the spots more closely, she could smell the stench of burning corpses and she backed away immediately, plugging her nose and gagging.

_What happened here?_ Shiemi asked herself. _Did someone get hurt?_

Shiemi felt her fear escalate slowly as the seconds of her being alone in a dark, demon-infested forest began to hit her. She flashed her flash light around her again and took a step towards the deeper parts of the woods. Once she took a few more skittish steps she heard a small squeak reach her ear.

"H-hello?" Shiemi immediately responded and flashed her light behind her. She tensed up her shoulders and held the light close to her chest. "I-Is someone there?" Shiemi asked the darkness, but shut herself up in order to prevent anything from hearing her.

Shiemi waited a few more seconds and didn't move a muscle. She began to slowly take a step back when she started to hear more squeaks coming before her. Her lips quivered and her body shook uncontrollably. A part of her forced her to raise her hands and point her light in that direction. Once she did, she saw a mass of flying moths zipping towards her. Shiemi gasped and turned around to run away. Her legs moved quickly and she swung her arms as she desperately tried to run away from the moths chasing after her. Unfortunately, her speed was too slow and the moths caught up to Shiemi, swooping around and pulling at her hair and biting her around her arms and face. Shiemi screamed as she pleaded her familiar for help.

"Nee! Get me some bug-repellent!" Shiemi cried out desperately. Nee proceeded to repel the flying moths around her but Shiemi was unaware that a moth snatched her summoning paper and tore it in half. She cried out as Nee disappeared in a puff of smoke and the moths continued to multiply in numbers around.

"Nee-chan!" Shiemi screamed. She cut herself off when she felt a presence loom over her. She turned around to see what it was and let out a terrified scream.

"No... Someone help me! Yuki-chan—!"

Shiemi tripped over a rock behind her and fell to the ground, but before she could hit the dirt, an arm swooped under her and caught her. Shiemi opened her eyes and saw a green-haired man looking over her from above. She noticed that she was in his arms and looked at him gratefully, "ah, t-thank you!"

Shiemi examined the man again and didn't recognize him. "W-who are you?" Shiemi asked innocently.

Shiemi was cut off when the man placed his finger over her soft lips, silencing her.

"Shhhhh...You are a dear friend of little brother, correct?" The man asked, confusing Shiemi at who he was referring to. She noticed that he had long, black nails and his eyes were a bright green despite it was pitch-black around her and the man. Moreover, there was a sense of danger Shiemi felt from this man.

"I-I don't know what you're t-talking about. Please... let me go..." Shiemi asked desperately. She tried to stand up and run but the man restrained her in his skinny, but surprisingly strong, arms.

"HELP ME—!" Shiemi tried to scream but the man quickly clasped his hand over her mouth. Shiemi's eyes began to water as the man forced her to look into his eyes.

"I can't let you loose after you've seen me, however, allow me to give you a small gift for my dear little brother," the man said.

_A-a... gift?_ Shiemi's heart was hitting against her chest so hard it hurt.

The green-haired man raised his hand, and while he did that, Shiemi saw a larger creature that was revealed to be another moth, only this time it was bigger than her and the man combined.

Tears began rolling down Shiemi's innocent, traumatized face.

"Please don't hurt m—!" Shiemi tried to scream through his hand but he only pressed down on her lips to shut her up. Another moth hovered over her and landed delicately onto the man's hand and he brought it close to her face.

"Shhhhh... just relax and let it give you my gift," the man whispered.

The moth crawled off the man's nailed hand and it clutched onto Shiemi's shivering body. It proceeded around her neck and planted itself there for a moment. Shiemi could feel the moth's tongue lick the back of her neck, then she felt it crawl around her neck.

After a moment, Shiemi jolted when pain shot through her spine.

The man removed his hand from her mouth, allowing her to scream desperately. As soon as she did, he flicked her forehead, knocking her unconscious immediately and leaving behind a trail of blood down her forehead. The man jumped over to the backpack over her back and dumped everything out. He snatched the bottle-rocket and match and quickly fled the scene silently, leaving Shiemi at the mercy of his hungry moths.

* * *

Shiemi's desperate scream rang around the forest, luckily Rin, Amitiel, and even Ryuji managed to be within distance to hear her. Amitiel stomped her feet on the ground and pushed herself back the other way without hesitation. Amitiel's breaths became short as she charged back to where Shiemi screamed. It was in the direction she just came from. Before Amitiel was even close to reaching Shiemi, a bright, blinding blue light radiated from around Shiemi's location. The light divided into rays as they passed through the branches and trunks of the trees around the area. Amitiel's skin crawled as soon as the aura pulsed within her, and she knew it was what she was looking for all this time. This time, it has finally appeared close enough for her to reach it and finally kill the son of Satan. Amitiel didn't even bother stopping and she prepared herself in advance by sheathing both her blades and held them tightly and confidently in her gloved hands.

The blue light slowly began to diminish and weaken, and the darkness began to return to where the light's source was. Amitiel's eyes widened and she doubled her speed.

_I will not let him get away again... this time... I will finish this!_

By the time Amitiel arrived, she dived into the bush just before the son of Satan, using her senses to pinpoint his exact location so that she can strike him effectively with a deadly blow. Amitiel's heart stopped when she heard the bushes rustle nearby. Amitiel peeked through the dark, thick bushes around her and managed to get a visual on the area.

"Shiemi! Are you alright?!"

Amitiel's eyes remained still, but confused, as she found Rin kneeled before Shiemi's unconscious body, and with Ryuji emerged from the bushes.

"You... what the hell was that?" Ryuji asked, his face was pale.

_What... just happened?_ Amitiel's eyebrows furrowed. _The son of Satan... was just here a second ago!_ Amitiel tsked loudly and drove her fist into the ground.

"I-Is... is Moriyama-san all right?" Ryuji asked again. Rin's face was also as pale as his, but Rin's eyes only showed the fear of Ryuji witnessing him being engulfed in his flames.

Rin swallowed loudly and tried to remain calm. "Uh..." He trailed away, since he didn't know how to respond. "I-I think so... her head's bleeding, but she seems to be alive..."

Ryuji noticed the flashlight beside Rin and he pointed at it. "Turn your light off. It attracts the moths."

Rin nodded nervously and clicked his light off. His face still remained pale and panic-stricken.

"Anyways, what was that blue light earlier?" Ryuji asked, which caused Rin to choke on his own spit. "It almost blinded me, so I couldn't see what it was. Did you see what it was?" Rin could tell Ryuji's mind was only thinking about one thing in particular whenever it came to blue flames, something Rin didn't want to say.

"Oh, uh... I-I couldn't see it either! But it must be that—y'know—that one thing...!?" Rin blurted out. Ryuji felt hopeless.

"A-Anyways..." Rin changed the awkward topic, "what did you come here for...?"

"Are you stupid? I came to help!" Ryuji shouted.

"But you said no helping—"

"SHUT UP! She sounded like she was friggin' DYING!" Ryuji flared out.

Rin only laughed as he pulled himself together, relieved. _Good, he didn't see me in flames!_ Rin thought.

"Well, she seems fine! I'll take care of her, so you go on and let me handle this!" Rin said.

"You—!"

Before Ryuji could finish his sentence, the bushes rustled near the boys and their hearts dropped to their feet. Rin readied his wooden sword and Ryuji pulled out his praying beads.

"Show yerself, ya bastard!" Rin shouted at the bushes.

Amitiel walked out with her blades in her hands, and a blank expression crossed her face.

"Hana?" Rin said, lowering his wooden sword. "How did you—?"

"I saw a blue light, so I came to see what it was..." Amitiel said, sheathing her blades back in their slots beside her thighs. "What happened?" Amitiel asked, noticing Shiemi's unconscious body.

"Oh! Uh... I found her like this. A bunch of moths attacked her and then—" Rin said.

"Did you see someone else?" Amitiel cut him off.

"Huh?" Rin said, his eyes widened a little. "N-No, I didn't. Why?"

Amitiel's eyes darkened and she turned around, looking away. "Never mind..."

Rin raised an eyebrow as he noticed her avoiding behaviour resurface.

"Anyways, I'm gonna take Shiemi back to base and then I'll start over!" Rin said as he began to scoop her up in his arms.

Ryuji looked a little annoyed at how much Rin was taking charge. "You—!"

When Rin was about to lift Shiemi off the ground, her eyes wrinkled and she opened them.

"Shiemi!" Rin noticed and immediately put her down.

"Rin...? What happened…?" Shiemi seemed dazed. As soon as she took a pause, her memories flooded in her consciousness and she screamed out, "Nee-chan!"

The others were startled as Shiemi desperately looked around for her torn up summoning paper. When she found it, she reached for the pieces and held them tightly as tears rolled down her soft cheeks. "Nee-chan..." Shiemi whimpered, causing Rin's heart to ache.

"Relax, you can summon it again with the other summoning papers," Ryuji said as he handed her her bag.

"Oh, right!" Shiemi dug through her bag, but found herself confused. "Huh? Some of my things are missing... maybe some fell out while I was running..."

"From what?" Amitiel was first to ask, she hoped perhaps Shiemi saw the son of Satan.

"I'm not sure, but it looked like a big moth," Shiemi responded, then her body shivered when she added, "There was also this man... I didn't recognize him, but he was strange, but then… I don't remember the rest."

"What did he look like?" Amitiel inquired, desperate for an answer.

"I don't know..." Shiemi pressed on her forehead to stop the bleeding. "...It was too dark to see, but his eyes... they looked strange. It almost looked like they were glowing..."

Amitiel gasped silently. "I-I see."

Rin and Ryuji exchanged confused glances when Amitiel walked forward back into the bushes again, determined to pursue what could potentially be the son of Satan.

"Oi! Where are you going?!" Rin shouted.

"I have to go search for this man," Amitiel responded. "He hurt Shiemi, now he must die."

She took a step into the bush but she felt a firm hand latch onto her arm. Amitiel looked around and saw Ryuji.

"You're crazy if you're thinking of actually taking on this guy. It could be a demon. If there really is a suspicious guy on the loose, we can't afford going back out there on our own. We should stick together as a team and help each other out," Ryuji said with a stern look on his sharp face.

Amitiel wrestled herself free from his grip. "You don't understand. This thing can't be allowed to run loose. Who knows when he'll attack someone else?" Amitiel frowned, her dark eyes sent chills down Ryuji's spine. "Besides, you said we shouldn't help each other out."

"I DIDN'T—!" Ryuji cut himself off, breathed, and said, "You know what? Whatever, if you wanna risk your life, go for it. I don't care anymore."

"Good, I don't care either. Now get out of my way."

Ryuji clenched his teeth and fists in anger.

Rin knew he had to step in. "Hana! You can't go out there on your own! It's too dangerous. Bon has a point—we should stick together." Ryuji felt a little proud someone agreed with him.

"You're wasting my time!" Amitiel stepped further in, but stopped when the bushes in front of her rustled.

Rin spotted a silhouette behind the bushes and grabbed his sword, yelling, "everybody get down now!"

The silhouette emerged and swung its long weapon and collided with Rin's sword. Rin pushed the intruder away, and Ryuji noticed the figure had a flash light in its mouth. Ryuji looked at it in confusion and ripped the flash light out of its mouth and pointed it at the figure.

"What the hell, Shima!?" Ryuji shouted. Renzo's face was just as confused as Ryuji's.

"Bon?!" Renzo said.

Ryuji reacted by dropping the flash light. He noticed his hand felt a little wet when he realized where it had been. "Quit ambushin' us like that, dammit!"

"Sorry...! I thought your shadows were giant bugs a-and..." Shima shook nervously just by saying it. He felt as if ants were crawling around in his pants, which made him further shudder at the idiom.

Shima shook away his shudders and looked around him. He noticed it wasn't just Rin and Ryuji that were around but also Hana and Shiemi. "Huh? You guys weren't giant bugs? What are you all here for?"

"Never mind us, what the hell are _you_ doing?" Ryuji raged. "You almost drove your_ K'rik_ into Tanaka!"

"Oh, right, s-sorry...!" Shima said as the ants in his pants returned when he made eye-contact with Amitiel. Her dark brown eyes looked black due to the night and they looked threatening as usual. "P-please don't kill me, Tanaka-chan, I have so much to live for..." Shima smiled to hide his fear.

"How did you follow us, anyways?" Rin asked. Shima shook his fears of Amitiel petrifying him with those dark, dead eyes, and looked at Rin semi-consciously.

"Uh... dunno. I was running away from a-a... a flock of moths and then I... it was all a blur..." Shima's face scrunched up uncomfortably at the thought, his hands shook uncontrollably despite they were clinging to his staff.

"Oh, right, you really hate bugs," Ryuji reminded himself, a little embarrassed by Shima's irrational fear. Ryuji stopped when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

Shima also reacted when he felt his phone in his pocket.

Ryuji was first to flip his phone open and read the message. He showed the screen to the others, adding, "It's from Konekomaru."

**_I found a lantern, but I cannot do it alone! Wanna work together? I sent you a pic of my map showing you where it is._**

**— _Konekomaru_**

"Great! Let's get going!" Rin said, pleased and excited. He stuffed his wooden sword back in his bag and led the way. "Let's get going so Koneko doesn't wait too long!"

"Okumura, wait," Ryuji stopped him by pulling on the back of his collar. "We shouldn't rush. Moriyama-san is injured. I think we should escort her back to base first and take off from there."

"H-hold on, are you actually gonna help Koneko?" Shima said, reluctant.

"Why not?!" Ryuji said. "If he needs our help, I ain't gonna turn him down!"

"But you said no helping—"

"GODDAMMIT!" Ryuji roared in frustration, smacking his hands on his forehead so hard it actually hurt. "Forget I said the 'no-helping-each-other-out' crap!"

"Whoa, Suguro's gonna kill us again..." Rin said sheepishly, slowly backing away from him.

"What was that?!" Ryuji's head spun around straight at Rin's sheepish looking face. Rin raised his hands up in mercy.

Amitiel crossed her arms and muttered to herself, "I am surrounded by the most idiotic beings in this universe."

Shiemi held her hands close to her heart as she broke the argument and said, "I-I'm fine, everyone, really! Don't worry about me! I think we should go help Miwa-kun as soon as possible...!"

* * *

10 minutes ago

* * *

"Eh, Four-Eyes, I bet ya 10 000 yen Rin'll use his flames within ten minutes into this camp..." Shura said, dunking another can's worth of beer into her mouth.

"Bring it on. I'm confident he'll last the entire night," Yukio said, but there was a tinge of doubt in his mind.

"Yah, but ya don't know if he'll run into some demons and resort to his flames! Remember when ya ran out of ammo because ya screamed like a lil' bitch and shot all over da place all because a damn moth flew into yer face? That was priceless!" Shura laughed, obviously louder than needed, while she threw her 10th beer can over her shoulder. She reached for another one and said, "dis forest is like a rave fer demons. Ya know that."

"Whatever, and for the record, I never 'screamed like a lil' bitch and shot all over da place'," Yukio said, mimicking Shura's hillbilly pronunciations with a high pitched voice. "I shot the demon with my first bullet," Yukio huffed in frustration, fixing his glasses by pushing them up on the bridge of his nose.

"But I remember ya yelling yer friggin' lungs out cuz I could hear ya a mile away!" Shura giggled. Yukio remained silent.

A flash of blue light could be seen in the distance. Even with the dense forest, the light still managed to seep through the bushes. Yukio gasped and Shura laughed.

"NYAHAH!" Shura laughed uncontrollably. "I told ya! Not even half n' hour and he uses his damn flames!"

Yukio's anger was sizzling. Now he owed her 10 000 damn yen.

"Well, whatever..." Shura looked in her can and moved it in her hand so that she could hear the remaining beer swish around at the bottom. "It's so damn dark out I doubt anyone saw what caused it. That white light earlier was suspicious at first, but it could've been one of da lanterns."

Shura noticed Yukio didn't respond in the way she anticipated. She lifted her gaze up from her can to Yukio's back. She could tell Yukio was so frustrated and even embarrassed at how inconsiderate his own brother was, just by the way he tenses up his shoulders. She had seen him frustrated so many times (mostly by her) and even managed to pick up a few consistent traits Yukio would make, such a pushing up his glasses whenever he was annoyed or smile whenever he was hiding something (his emotions).

Yukio facepalmed and exhaled loudly, "I can't keep up with this anymore..." Yukio sighed in disappointment.

"Chillax, kid. I told ya no one could see him in the dark. Yer gettin' so old already ya already seem sick of life. Loosen up a little," Shura said, taking a sip of her beer while Yukio reacted violently, "leave me alone!"

"There's that lil' boy I loved back then," Shura winked, while her cheeks were plastered by blush. Yukio decided to swallow down his frustration and impending urge to kill that woman.

"... Anyways, I know you would never volunteer to supervise for this camp for no apparent reason. Actually, you'd never volunteer to do anything. So tell me—Why are you doing this? Since you know about my brother's secret, why don't you go report that to the Vatican?" Yukio asked, a little nervous at what her answer is going to be.

"I'm gonna teach yer bro how to use a sword!" Shura responded cheerfully, swishing her can in her hand in circles. "So my report's on hold."

Instead of sounding pleased like Shura expected, he swung his head around and pure surprise grew on his face, "what?! Why?"

'Cuz he said he wanna be Paladin!" Shura burst out laughing a lot louder than needed. Yukio could tell she had become wasted already by noticing her annoying loud laughs and red cheeks.

_What the hell was he thinking?!_ Yukio facepalmed again, this time a lot harder.

"He's got balls fo' sure," Shura added, "when Shiro asked me a while back, I was like, "Hell nah!", but now I feel all guilty cuz' he's dead so I thought "maybe I shoulda helped him—""

"Wait," Yukio interrupted, his heart skipped a beat momentarily. "How's Father Fujimoto involved?"

Yukio's question wasn't answered as Shura continued rambling on, leaving him with more questions he wished he could ask, but thought it wasn't the right time to do so.

Shura noticed there was no beer left in the can as she shook it upside down, with only a drop squeezing out of the hole. "Rin's still pretty stupid, so I bet it'be pretty useless to even try to talk some sword-wielding logic into that empty noggin' of his."

Yukio remained silent for a moment.

"Though I admit," Shura continued, "I actually agree with _him_ when it comes to exposin' Rin to his abilities and toughin' him up." She flicked her gaze back at a certain direction towards a certain spot over the forest. Though Yukio hadn't noticed, she knew it would make sense if Mephisto were around to observe Rin potentially losing control again.

Amaimon was first to catch Shura's gaze. He and Mephisto were several yards away on top of a bedding of tree branches and leaves, overlooking the camp base, where the large circle full of seals surrounding the center prevented Amaimon and Mephisto from coming near them.

Amaimon tsked loudly. "She noticed us, that bitch," Amaimon growled, despite there was no anger on his face.

"Did you greet the lord of this forest?" Mephisto asked, who was hovering over the trees nearby with his umbrella, which had turned into a bat-like creature that was flapping its webbed wings.

"Yah, they killed a bunch of his kin, so he's willing to cooperate," Amaimon responded, still eyeing the pink-haired lady in the distance.

"And... did you also manage to do that little task I assigned you?" Mephisto raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I did. That girl was a lot easier to subdue than I anticipated," Amaimon said while chewing on his nails.

"You better not have harmed her in any way, Amaimon. She is still my student," Mephisto reminded him, a tinge of anger flashed in the demon's bright green eyes for a second.

"Of course not," Amaimon lied, licking some of the girl's blood off his black fingernails.

"So how am I supposed to piss off little brother? If that human has the Kurikara, it would be difficult," Amaimon said.

"Patience, Amaimon. I appreciate you being so interested in this, but you went way over the limit causing an earthquake at my amusement park—it was costly repairing the damages..." Mephisto sighed, remembering when he found one of his beloved golden statues beheaded because of Amaimon's recklessness.

Mephisto stopped talking when he noticed Amaimon had become so deep in thought he gave up. "He's not even listening..." Mephisto hissed.

Blood dripped down Amaimon's thumb as he continued to gnaw on his nails.

* * *

"Damn, how far away is that lantern?" Suguro asked, a little impatient.

"Chill, Bon. I've got this under control!" Shima beamed, holding his map in his hands, using the trails to guide him and the squad towards Konekomaru's destination.

"Okay, we should be within a few yards from Koneko if we just—"

Shima yelped when he tripped over a root and landed face down on the dirt full of dry leaves and twigs. Everyone stopped and Shiemi offered to help him up.

"Jeez, that's the fifth time I've tripped over..." Shima smiled embarrassingly and brushed off the dirt off his white uniform, leaving behind many musty stains.

"You need to be more careful, Shima-kun," Shiemi said.

"Yah, you've been trippin' a lot lately..." Ryuji said, then he noticed something familiar about the area. "Wait a sec... We've been here before!" Ryuji shouted.

"Whadya mean?!" Shima yelped.

"I mean we've been going 'round in circles for the past half-hour, you doorknob!" Ryuji raged, snatching the map out of Shima's dirty hands.

"Wait! I know were going the right way! I just so happens I'm tripping over a root over and over..." Shima realized it when he recognized the root at his feet, "—and over... dammit."

"I knew I never shoulda trusted you with leading the way!" Ryuji said, observing the map himself and using his compass as a guide to which direction.

"O-oi..." Ryuji started, observing the compass. "The arrow's actin' weird."

Rin, Shiemi, and Amitiel looked at each other in confusion and Suguro showed the compass to them. Rin noticed that the arrow was constantly changing directions.

"Is it like... broken, or something?" Rin asked.

Ryuji sighed and placed it back in his pocket, "not really, it just means there's some magnetic force in this forest that's messing with the magnet in the compass. Probably some demon messing around. Some paranormal stuff does that." Ryuji looked at the map, "we'll have to trace Koneko's coordinates on from the picture he sent us, what a pain in the ass..."

"He's that way," Amitiel suddenly said, pointing in the direction.

The others looked at her in confusion. "How do you know?" Ryuji said.

"Because I can feel him," Amitiel responded, her answer spooked Ryuji a little.

"Why should I believe you? You got psychic powers or somethin'?" Ryuji asked, suspicious.

"Please... just trust me," Amitiel said, moving herself forward towards that direction.

"Hana! Wait!" Rin called. Amitiel stopped walking soon after he said her name.

"How about we just let Bon do his thing and create a plan that would meet us up with Konekomaru," Rin said, hoping it would change Amitiel's mind. He knew she would act suspicious sometimes, but to be this open about her mysterious abilities and intuition would only cause the rest of the students to doubt if Hana was a human being.

On the other hand, Amitiel hadn't been listening to what Rin was saying and she stopped because she could feel Amaimon's presence nearby. Also, there was a faint aura coming from near the students themselves, but for some reason, this demonic aura was too faint for her to pinpoint its exact location.

She turned around and looked back at Rin, her eyes remained calm and she walked back towards him.

Rin sighed in relief and he added, "Okay, now let's just leave Bon alone while he—"

Rin yelped when Amitiel stepped right in front of him and he dodged by instinct and jumped out of the way. Amitiel looked as if she were an animal smelling its prey. The students looked a little horrified as Amitiel closed her eyes and allowed her senses to locate the demon she could barely recognize.

"Whoa, what the hell is she doing?!" Bon shouted, confused and freaked out at Amitiel's sudden change in behaviour.

The Exwires stepped out of her way as she walked around, and she slowly ended up face to face with Shiemi, who was shivering nervously. "T-Tanaka-san... I-Is something wrong?" Shiemi whispered.

Amitiel opened her eyes and noticed Shiemi's radiant, emerald eyes stared at her with a tinge of uneasiness.

"...Why am I sensing you?" Amitiel asked Shiemi, but both girls looked confused at each other.

"W-What do you mean...?" Shiemi's body remained cautious and still.

"I feel it coming from you... but it's not actually you..." Amitiel spoke to herself, but suddenly snapped out of her trance when a burst of demonic energy was detected only meters behind the squad. The bushes began rustling violently with the sound of consecutive loud flaps.

A shadow emerged from the bushes and Shiemi was first to recognize it due to its glowing round eyes. "I-It's back...!" Shiemi screamed. "T-The moth... it's back!"

"Dammit!" Rin said as he grabbed his wooden sword out of his bag while Renzo and Ryuji pulled out their Mala beads, and Amitiel pulled out her blades from her sheaths on her thighs. Shiemi held on to her hands protectively as the other Exwires stood before the giant moth, which was gurgling and squealing demonically. A horde of tinier moths accompanied it and began hovering over the Exwires, distracting them.

"Guess Koneko will have to wait a little longer!" Ryuji said, gritting his teeth and began chanting a prayer, followed by Shima. The moths swarming over them and biting them all were incinerated on the spot as if a shield enveloped the duo.

Shiemi screamed as a moth tackled her by pulling at her hair. She tried to swat the bugs away but more ganged up on her, forcing Suguro and Shima to encircle her so that their chants would protect her as well. The moths flittering over her head were incinerated and Shiemi looked at the boys in deep relief. "T-Thank you, Suguro-kun and Shima-kun!"

Suguro looked over and saw Rin held his sword in front of him with two hands. The giant moth shadowed him in its intimidating, demonic presence.

"Damn, he can't fight this thing alone!" Suguro said as he left Shima responsible to protect Shiemi.

Ryuji stood with Rin and Amitiel as they prepared to fight. The giant moth began opening its mouth and a long, purple tongue rolled out. It flung it towards Ryuji and he began chanting to defend himself.

As soon as he could finish, Rin charged in front of him and swung his sword, hitting the moth's tongue off course and it smacked into the moth's head. It gurgled loudly and it shot its tongue again, this time at Amitiel. Rin had trouble keeping up with the moth's movements and ran back to defend Amitiel. Amitiel held her blades in front of her and proceeded to cut off the demon's tongue but Rin pushed her away, receiving the blow as the result.

Rin yelled loudly as pain shot through his arm where the tongue had whipped him.

"Okumura!" Ryuji cried out, attempting to reach him.

"Get away! You two run and find Konekomaru!" Rin said, standing back up. There was a red mark left behind from the moth's tongue on his cheek but it slowly faded away. "I'll take care of this bastard!" Rin smiled confidently and grasped his wooden sword.

"What the hell are you _thinkin'_ taking on this beast _alone_?!" Ryuji raged. "Are you that stupid?!"

"I guess I am!" Rin shouted. "But someone needs to reach Koneko so they can get the lantern back to base and get a position!"

The moth attacked and Rin dodged it.

"You're—!" Ryuji started but then no words came out, because he was shocked that Rin was considering sacrificing his position so that the others could have a chance to pass the exam.

_Rin... Why are you doing this?_ Amitiel thought, surprised at how selfless he was. "Rin, why are you—"

"Stop arguing and go!" Rin shouted. "I don't want you to get hurt again, Hana. Let me save you for once!"

Amitiel's mouth dropped at such shock she had trouble closing it back up. After giving much thought on what he said, Amitiel's eyebrows furrowed and anger burned in her eyes. "Do you... think I can't take this thing on? I can do it by myself!" Amitiel yelled.

"No, you can't! You're not as strong as you think you are! If you do take this thing on you'll get killed! Now go!" Rin yelled and screamed when the moth attacked him again and he deflected it.

Amitiel let her arms drop. Amidst all this, Amitiel clenched her fists so hard it ached. She grit her teeth and ran away, opposite from Konekomaru's location and disappeared in the woods.

"Hana!" Rin called.

Ryuji grit his teeth and reluctantly turned heels and ran back in the bushes, dragging Shiemi and Renzo with him. Rin smiled in a cocky manner as he faced off against the demon.

"Ya want a sweet piece of this, ya bastard? Come and get it!" Rin taunted.

The moth growled demonically as it flew closer to Rin with the horde of smaller moths encircling it. Rin held on to his sword and prepared to fight. The moth swung its tongue and Rin dodged it, hitting it with his wooden sword. He was angry that he didn't have his real sword on him since the wooden one seemed to make no damage on the moth in any way. Rin improvised and began throwing stones at it. One hit it in one of its large, bulging eyes and it squealed violently. The small moths raged and attacked Rin and he swatted them away by swinging his sword all over the place like he was trying to swat a tiny fly. Rin grit his teeth harder as the amount of moths swarming around him increased until he couldn't see around him. Rin was about to release his flames one last time as a desperate escape plan but the giant alpha moth gurgled loudly and squealed suddenly.

Rin registered the moth's cries and the other moths flying around him suddenly stopped and flew over to their leader, answering its cry for help. Rin stood and looked at the moth. Its scream sounded as if it was in pain, but Rin hadn't done anything major that could hurt it. He watched cautiously as the moth squealed, then Rin could smell smoke and saw that the moth was slowly catching on fire from behind it. The little moths flittering around were attracted to the fire engulfing the giant moth and flew to their own doom. The giant demon's wings caught fire and slowly burned away into bits of ashes until the fire spread to its body and swallowed it whole, choking it in its hellish blaze. Rin winced as the moth shrieked loudly until it crumbled into ashes. Rin covered his eyes to prevent the soot from going into his eyes and he could make out another shadow behind the demon's ashes.

Rin grasped his sword again when he saw the shadow carry what looked like the source of the fire in its hand.

"Who the hell are you?! Show yourself!" Rin shouted.

The shadow emerged and there stood Ryuji, accompanied by Renzo and Shiemi.

"R-Rin, are you okay?" Shiemi said, her voice quivered with worry.

Rin gasped and yelled out, "what the hell are you guys doing?!"

Ryuji smirked. He held a wooden torch in his hand with a strong flame flickering on the tip of it.

"Saving yer ass," Ryuji said. "That's what."

"What the hell?! You just ruined my 'badass' moment!" Rin raged.

Ryuji raged as well. "HEY! AT LEAST BE GRATEFUL I SAVED YOUR STUPID ASS!"

Ryuji threw his torch down on the damp dirt and stomped on it in anger. "Now go chase Hana's skinny ass and drag her back here, you piece of shit!"

"FINE!" Rin yelled back and Ryuji repeated what he said in an angrier tone and pitch.

Rin ran into the woods and attempted to track Amitiel down, using the footprints she left behind on the dirt as a guide. He ran as fast as he could for a few minutes until he could hear the bushes rustle in front of him.

"Hana!" Rin called.

The bushes rustled even harder and Rin chased after her even faster, picking up his pace to overcome her's.

"Hana! Stop!" Rin yelled.

He saw her figure in front of him and he sprinted and managed to grab her arm and stopped her.

"Let me go, already!" Amitiel tried to break free.

"What the hell are you doing?" Rin asked. "What if another moth comes and attacks you, huh?"

"Why would you care about me? I can take care of myself!" Amitiel wrenched herself free and briskly walked away.

"Hana! Wait!"

Rin grabbed her again and turned her around so that she faced him. He shook her and said, "what's gotten into you? Stop avoiding me when I'm trying to talk to you!"

Amitiel's eyes were covered over by her blond bangs. Most of her hair fell limp while her ponytail laid loosely, almost at the point of becoming undone.

"Leave me alone..." Amitiel whispered, but didn't try to break free.

"Why are you distancing yourself again? You've done this since I met you, but now it's like you don't want us to look at you at all!" Rin said.

"You don't understand. Why don't you just leave me alone..." Amitiel didn't look up. "There's no good in you being around me. If you think I'm a monster, then it would be best that we don't talk any more. Please just let me go, it's for your own good that we don't get too close..."

Rin looked at her, and sadness suddenly washed over him like a violent wave. Along with that, a part of him forced something he wanted to say up his throat and he tried to swallow it down, but the urge just got greater until everything flowed out like blood. "I-I can't, Hana. I just... I just can't," Rin spoke.

Amitiel managed to look up at him. Her dark eyes looked miserable.

"Do you know why?" Rin continued. "Because I constantly worry that something will happen to you. Do you know how many times you've gotten yourself hurt because of me? Do you know how hard it is for me to forgive myself knowing that things always screw up when I'm around? It's like I'm a friggin' grenade, Hana. I can blow up and get my friends and family killed because of me. I should stay away from you, but it kills me not being around you. I've lost my dad once because of me, and I've hurt you so many times I'm scared I'm gonna lose you too."

Amitiel looked back down again, shaking her head. "R-Rin... why..."

"Please, just let me protect you from myself for once!" Rin shouted.

"Then it would be best if you just avoided me, right? I'm not the only one to suggest that to you," Amitiel said without making eye-contact. "Yukio told you to stay away from me. Like I said, if you think I'm a demon, then it would be best if you just forget about me. It would be safer for the both of us."

"Why?" Rin's eyes widened.

"Because..." Amitiel hesitated. "Because I won't be here for much longer..."

"What do you mean?! You're leaving?!" Rin released her and gasped.

"You don't understand... I'm just here to do this one task and then I'm going home," Amitiel said as she looked away, crossing her arms.

"What task?" Rin inquired. His heart began to throb at the thought of her leaving already.

"It's... confidential..." Amitiel evaded the subject.

Rin looked at her in disappointment. "... You never tell me anything, do you? I've known you for a year but it still feels like I don't know you at all."

"I'm sorry for that, Rin… but I can't tell you everything." Amitiel forced herself to lift up her chin and look deep in his saturated blue eyes. "I trust you, I really do, it's just there are reasons why you can't know me too well."

"Why not? Isn't... isn't that what friends do?" Rin squeaked as he almost choked on his own words. Rin swallowed a lump in his throat and uttered nervously, "A-are we... friends?"

Amitiel trailed her gaze upward. She looked around the night sky and observed the stars. "Throughout my life here, it has been so lonely and dull... I mean, I've done nothing but travel around Japan looking for... something." Amitiel looked back down and played with her fingers. "I've longed to find what I've been looking for and at the same time I felt so empty and _bored_."

Rin followed her gaze up at the stars above him.

Amitiel closed her eyes and breathed deeply, then gazed back into Rin's eyes. "That all changed when I met you, Rin. You and everyone else, you guys have made a big impact in my life. For some reason, I feel more... human when I'm with you, Rin—and I've never felt this way before."

Rin blushed intensely at her words, and with this feeling of happiness glowing inside him, he felt his heart beat frantically. He felt he was going to float up at how much happiness he was feeling, especially since it is the first time someone has ever said something so meaningful to him. Rin tried to respond but he couldn't say anything without sounding awkward.

Amitiel looked more relaxed after she's said everything. "All I'm trying to say is... thank you for the memories we've made together, Rin. You brought... purpose in my existence."

Rin's happiness grew dim for a second as his heart dropped. "Why does is feel like your saying goodbye now?" Rin said nervously.

Amitiel shook her head and pushed a strand of blond hair behind her ear. "Sorry, I got a little carried away..." She said softly.

Rin nodded in understand, relieved and happy. "So what's this 'something' you're looking for? Maybe I can help you!" Rin exclaimed.

"You can't help me, Rin..." Amitiel looked away.

Rin crossed his arms. "Just tell me, already, O Mysterious One," Rin smirked.

"It's... someone... a demon," Amitiel hesitated.

Rin felt his heart jump.

"W...What did it do to you?" Rin blurted out.

"Nothing, it's just... he's dangerous, and I have to stop him from hurting more people."

"Then let me help. Please," Rin insisted.

"Why would you—" Amitiel began.

"No arguing! I'm gonna help you out no matter what, kay?" Rin winked and raised a thumb up.

"... Did you not understand the word 'dangerous'?" Amitiel frowned at him.

"Hey, it's a dangerous world out here. I figured that out a year ago so..." Rin trailed away but brought his point back. "Please let me help you out, so I can help you kick that demon's horny ass! Since I'm technically a grenade, maybe I can blow myself up right in front of its face!" Rin joked.

Amitiel looked at him, and it was the first Rin saw her eyes glow with admiration. "Thank you, Rin..."

"So let's just drop this whole avoiding charade, dammit! Seriously, I felt so weird," Rin said, throwing his hands in his pockets.

Amitiel nodded in agreement. "Me too."

"And You know what?" Rin added. "Screw the rules. I ain't gonna let Yukio stop you from being my friend, it's my decision, right? and I choose to be with you, Hana!"

"Rin..." Amitiel whispered.

"Also, I don't care if you are a demon. If you still don't wanna say it, that's okay, as long as there's a good reason why. No matter what, I'll stand by your side, regardless of who you are." Rin smiled warmly.

Amitiel's dark eyes brightened up as she felt a sense of hope in her heart. "I've... never had someone say those things to me..." She looked down, trying to hide her face.

"Well, don't make this too awkward..." Rin said, shrugging his shoulders.

Amitiel closed her eyes and images of Rin hugging her projected in her mind, silently but clearly.

"I mean, I don't wanna feel any more awkward now but—"

Rin was cut off when he felt Amitiel wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Rin gasped a little from surprise but looked down and saw Amitiel's face leaning over his shoulder, her eyes were closed so softly she looked at peace.

"Thank you so much, Rin..." She said.

Rin slowly lifted his hands up and returned her caress, pulling her even closer as he smiled and pressed his chin over her head, feeling her soft, blond hair brushing over his face.

Rin and Amitiel walked back together where Suguro, Shiemi, and Shima waited. While they walked alone in the dark, demon-infested forest, Rin looked at Amitiel and then observed her unusually calm expression on her face. She looked like she was glowing.

Rin looked ahead and smiled, but he suddenly began to blush when he felt cold fingers touch his own. Without looking down, Rin felt Amitiel's fingers reach out to his and he slowly curled his fingers over hers, embracing them in his warmth.

Rin felt a warm feeling in his heart that seemed familiar but so hard to identify. It wasn't a feeling he felt before.

_What... is this feeling...?_ Amitiel and Rin thought. _It's... warm..._

When the two were able to make out Ryuji and the others ahead of them, Amitiel ran towards them while Rin took his time. While he did, he smiled confidently as resolve came to his mind.

_After__ all this... I'm gonna tell Hana... I'm gonna tell her who I am._

He had a confident feeling in his heart that she'll accept him.

* * *

**A/N: how many times did I say sorry for every late submission?**

**I'm sorry it's been over a month but school is really getting hard and stressful and I'm going through some personal issues right now. Please try to understand that I don't have a lot of free time on my hands. On the other hand, I have no school next week so I will try my very best to submit 2 chapters to make it up for everything.**

_**Enjoy this like it's the end of the world, my fellow exorcists!**_

**PS: To Blacktiger93—is your definition of cooking mean possibly setting the whole academy on fire? (****・****ω****・****) Then yes, Amitiel is REALLY good. The best thing she can do is make it possible to burn a frying pan. Also, when she first came to Earth, she didn't understand why it was necessary to wear clothes (and she has no shame about her body) so for the first day she walked around naked :3. ERR... If you heard Amitiel's true singing voice you'd go deaf ^^' Her human voice sings like a gurgling whale on acid tbh, but when she speaks in her true form, the loudness of her voice would be measured as 200 dB (louder than a rocket launch—which causes immediate deafness if with no protection).**


	25. Chapter 24: Tension

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (青の祓魔師（エクソシスト)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火—Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 24: Tension**_

* * *

**Konekomaru Miwa had been waiting nervously in the dark, demon-infested forest for an hour for Suguro and the others.** As the minutes passed by with him trapped in the depths of this hellish forest only made his anxiety even worse. He looked at the lantern behind him, which was sitting alone on a smooth, square concrete plaque lodged flat on the forest ground. Did Suguro and the others run into some demons on their way here? He estimated it would take at least 30 minutes from Suguro's destination, but if it was taking him and hour or more, does that mean Suguro was in trouble? Should Konekomaru abandon the lantern and search for his potentially endangered friends?

Konekomaru could hear the sounds of the moths squeaking around him but none showed up. The moonlight shone down on the lantern and Konekomaru's smooth head and illuminated the whole area around the lantern since there was no trees or bushes blocking the light. Konekomaru felt a little relieved that the moonlight was providing some light so that he could see all around him, but he hoped he wouldn't have to see anything while he was alone and nervous.

Konekomaru's skin jumped when he heard a loud scream, but it was more demonic than human. He assumed it was the Zekkyō kamakiri, a low-level demon that was kin to Beelzebub. It was a demon that possessed an innocent mantis and when in the face of danger, lets out a terrible, demonic scream that rattles the bones of those who hear it. It was shocking to find that the tiniest insect can scare away even the biggest predators.

Konekomaru kept his flash light close to him but would rather not turn it on so that he would not attract any of the moths in the forest around him. He walked back to the lantern and sat on the concrete plaque, desperately waiting for his best friends.

Koenkomaru's heart jumped into his throat when he heard the bushes nearby rustle ahead of him. He grasped his flash light desperately and pointed it at the rustling bushes.

"B-Bon...?" Konekomaru called.

"Koneko?" The voice replied.

Konekomaru's fear suddenly washed away as he ran to the bushes, desperately searching for his friend. He pointed his flashlight and found Suguro, with Rin, Shima, Shiemi, and Hana trailing behind him.

"Bon! You're okay!" Konekomaru smiled in relief. "I thought something happened to you!"

Suguro fanned him away. "It was nothing, we ran into a big moth, but it was nothing..." Konekomaru could feel anger rising up from Suguro. "Except I learned one important, life-saving lesson: NEVER trust Shima with a map," Suguro said calmly despite his anger was flaring. "_Never._"

"Hey!" Shima yelled in offense.

"Come quickly! The lantern's just ahead!" Konekomaru gestured his friends to follow him and they did.

Once Suguro and the others got their eyes on the lantern, he understood why Konekomaru called him.

"What is that?" Shima asked.

Suguro smirked when he said, "damn, I see now. One person can't carry _that_."

The lantern stood on the concrete plaque, but what caught the students' attention was that it was larger than all of the students combined.

"It's made of stone," Shiemi noticed.

"What the hell!?" Rin blurted out. "It's huge!" Initially, Rin imagined the lantern to be one of those cheap, small festival lanterns made of paper. The idea in mind for him to take it back to base was much simpler than carrying a hunk of stone.

"It's called a Peg lantern," Ryuji answered calmly. "It's a low-level demon that waits patiently for people to light it at night, and then attacks them and eats them for fuel. For some reason, it really likes to eat women. The only way it stops eating is during the day or when it runs out of fuel."

"When I saw this," Konekomaru jumped in. "I realised we misinterpreted the rules of this camp."

"I think you're right," Ryuji agreed. "For this exam, everyone will need to work together!"

Before someone could say something, Ryuji snapped immediately, "and I know I said "no working together"! Okumura-sensei said there were only three slots so I assumed that was the case, okay?! So shut up!"

Shima closed his mouth back up.

"Yah, Okumura-sensei said three slots, not three _people_," Konekomaru added.

"Okay, since we need to cooperate, we'll need Takara and Kamiki's cell numbers. Anyone got them?" Suguro said, gesturing a phone with his fingers.

"I tried many times, but Izumo-chan won't give me hers," Shima sniffed in disappointment. "She won't even go on a date with me..."

"Gee, I wonder why," Suguro said sarcastically, a little annoyed.

"But how are we going to carry the lantern back to Yuki-chan?" Shiemi asked. "I mean, it's too heavy even for the six of us."

"Hold on, I'm thinking of a plan," Suguro said as he scratched his head while visualising his plans in his head.

While Rin threw a bunch of useless ideas for the plan, Konekomaru stepped back to conjure his own plan in which cooperation is much needed. Amitiel was first to notice him thinking hard by himself. She walked over to him and asked, "what's your plan?"

Konekomaru was startled that Amitiel spoke to him so suddenly midway through concentration. "I-I'm thinking of a way for all of us to work together."

"What do you have so far?"

"Well, I was thinking that each of us should take certain positions so that nothing will go wrong while we take the lantern back to camp. I believe Okumura-kun, Shima-kun, and Bon should load the lantern into the wooden cart, since they seem to be the strongest ones. Moriyama-san will light the lantern and feed it Chuchi to keep the fire going."

"But once the lantern is lit, it will start attacking us," Amitiel said.

"I guess so—do you have any ideas to restrain it?" Konekomaru asked.

Amitiel looked around herself and noticed there were many wooden poles with talismans nailed to them. "Do you see all the talismans on those poles?" Amitiel pointed at a pole nearby. Konekomaru listened. "I bet the exorcists placed those around the lantern so we could use one to seal it."

"I think you're right," Konekomaru said and approached one of the poles and pulled off a talisman. "These ones are used to keep a demon docile and immobile, I bet if we use one of these, we can light the lantern without it attacking us."

Konekomaru looked at Amitiel with a determined, confident look in his eyes. "I figured out a formation for all the six of us."

Amitiel and Konekomaru nodded at each other and Konekomaru grabbed everyone's attention and explained his plan.

"Guys, I figured out what to do. First we'll need to load the lantern onto the cart before we do anything. I'll have Okumura-kun, Shima-kun, and Bon do the lifting since you guys seem to be the strongest. Once that's done, Bon will use of those talismans on the surrounding posts and chant the sutra that will keep the lantern still and docile."

"Why don't you and Bon do those things together?" Shima asked.

"Bon's memorised the chant unlike me," Konekomaru said which made Bon feel proud of himself. "Anyways," Konekomaru continued. "We'll gather a bunch of Chuchi for fuel so the lantern doesn't go out while it's lit. So we need to keep feeding it while we take it back to base. That'll be Moriyama-san's job."

"But once it's lit, a bunch of Chuchi will be attracted to the light!" Rin said.

"Don't worry," Konekomaru reassured him. "That's why Shima-kun, Tanaka-san, Bon, and I will be responsible for expelling the Chuchi while Okumura-kun will pull the cart, since he seems to have the most horsepower."

Konekomaru heaved a big sigh and smiled, "so that's my plan. Any questions?"

Shima raised his shaky hand up. "Yah, do I really have to be the one to protect you from all those, " Shima gulped, "b-bugs...?"

"Goddammit, Shima..." Bon growled.

* * *

"All right, everyone ready?" Konekomaru shouted after everyone got into their positions. The lantern was positioned in the large cart while Shiemi remained inside the cart in order to continue feeding the flame inside the lantern with the moths. Shima and Konekomaru were beside the cart while Suguro was behind it. Amitiel was in front of Rin as she was responsible for leading the way.

"Let's do this!" Rin beamed confidently by slapping his hands together.

Rin grabbed the metal handles of the cart and thrusted forward. The cart didn't move without Rin growling like he was constipated. The cart moved faster than the students expected and each were amazed by Rin's incredible strength.

"Holy crap! Just what is he?" Shima said, as he swung and twirled his staff around him to protect the cart from being bombarded by incoming moths.

Suguro would've answered with an insult but was too busy chanting the verse for activating the seal on the lantern and defending the cart.

Amitiel was amazed by Rin's abilities but soon stopped when she could see something unsettling ahead of her.

Amitiel ran ahead then threw her fist up. Rin didn't register what her signal meant and crashed into her, hitting his head against the metal bar and falling face-first in the dirt. Amitiel toppled down after he ran into her and looked back at him with a threatening glare.

"Why did the hell did ya stop?!" Rin shouted at her.

"Do you not understand what this means?" Amitiel said, repeating her gesture. "It's a military signal to stop."

Rin and Amitiel got up and the gang looked ahead. Rin's heart was pounding from embarrassment.

"What's wrong, Tanaka-san?" Konekomaru asked.

"That." Amitiel pointed ahead of her.

The students followed her direction and saw a large crevasse. Only a rickety bridge was barely standing in order to help passers-by cross, but from the looks of it, it seemed to be at the point of collapsing. There was no way to cross that bridge with the lantern. Nevertheless, it's state made it nearly impossible for people to stand on.

The students felt stumped on what to do to get this 200-pound lump of stone across a frail, old bridge.

Suddenly, the students could hear what sounded like a loud fizzing whistle in the sky. A red flare shot into the sky before creating a loud, startling pop. The smoke from the flare trailed away with the wind and the students looked at each other.

"Somebody must've given up," Shima said.

"Could it be Kamiki-san or Takara-san?" Shiemi asked.

"It doesn't matter anyway. What matters is getting this peg lantern across the bridge," Amitiel said.

Everyone shuddered when Shima suddenly let out a horrified, desperate scream. He clutched his staff close to his chest when he discovered the crevasse wasn't even filled with water.

It was a pool of large maggots.

"AHH! BUGS! LOTSA BUGS!"

Shima backed away, almost into the bush, as he resisted the urge to faint. He suddenly had the feeling of ants in his pants, which only made his anxiety worse.

"O-Oh crap… I-I think I-I'm gonna piss my pants…" Shima shivered uncontrollably.

"Then go take a wiz in the bush or somethin'," Rin suggested, despite it wouldn't help calm Shima's irrational fear.

Shima tried to take some deep breaths in order to calm himself, but that was interrupted when Suguro ripped Shima's staff out of his grip, walked over to the edge, and drove it into the pool of bugs. The unsettling sound of the bugs being crushed and squished almost drove Shima into insanity.

"My staff!" Renzo screamed, tears of horror rolling down his cheeks.

Suguro couldn't answer as he was still chanting the sutra to keep the peg lantern docile.

As Suguro was attempting to measure the depth of the pool of bugs with the staff, Konekomaru noticed the same seals that were found around the lantern were nailed and hung throughout the bridge's structure.

"Guys, the same seals we found earlier are here, that means something's sealed here. Something big," Konekomaru said, which caught the attention of the students.

"Don't disturb any of the seals!" Konekomaru stated, as Rin was about to rip one of them off the post of the bridge. Rin backed away immediately.

Suguro tossed Shima his staff back and removed his backpack to fetch a pen and paper as he was busy chanting. Shima was busy desperately cleaning off the insect guts tainting the gold rod.

Konekomaru waited as Ryuji wrote until he flipped the notepad and revealed what he was trying to say.

_Got idea._

Ryuji flipped the paper and wrote: _Lantern crosses by itself._

"How?!" Konekomaru exclaimed at how impossible it sounded. His shout attracted the attention of the other Exwires.

Konekomaru paused when he realised what Suguro meant. "Oh, I see…" Konekomaru sighed, impressed by Suguro's quick thinking.

"Wait, what?" Rin was the only one who was confused after the students caught on to what Suguro was implying.

Suguro proceeded to draw a diagram while Konekomaru explained to the students the plan.

"Alright, here goes…" Konekomaru spoke.

* * *

After many minutes of Konekomaru translating Suguro's drawing of his plan, everyone felt a spark in their hearts at how promising the outcome will be. Everyone agreed except for Shima, who was chosen to cross the pool of bugs with Shiemi on his back. Although Shima was completely happy with Shiemi's toned thighs squishing his head, he called it Ojo* when it comes to crossing the pool of bugs. Rin decided to take his place.

"Okay, ready? Whatever you do, _don't_ move suddenly!" Rin said, with Shiemi up on his shoulders.

"O-okay…" Shiemi replied meekly, a little nervous.

At the sight of Rin's cheeks flushing red in the presence of Shiemi's thighs caressing his face, Amitiel felt her eye twitch in frustration, though she couldn't understand why having Shiemi on Rin's shoulders bothered her so much. Perhaps Amitiel should have taken Shiemi's place?

Rin went on his feet and lifted Shiemi off the ground. She immediately screamed and clawed at Rin's face in a desperate attempt to hold on.

"Kyaaaaaaah! I'm so high up!" Shiemi squealed.

"OW!" Rin screamed. "Quit scratching my face!"

"S-sorry!" Shiemi blushed in embarrassment.

Rin hopped into the pool of bugs and took a step forward to balance himself. The sound of the bugs crunching and cracking under his sole made Shima feel queasy, who was hiding behind a bush on the other side.

"O-oh my god, I-I can hear everything from here…" Shima stuttered.

"You're hopeless..." Amitiel said under her breath.

Konekomaru, Shima, and Amitiel were on the other side of the bridge with the empty cart. The peg lantern was set in front of the edge of the pool of bugs, so that it would chase Rin and Shiemi across the pit and not the bridge.

"Okay, we're ready!" Konekomaru shouted across the pit.

Suguro nodded and ripped the seal off the lantern. "Alright! Go!" He shouted.

The lantern took a moment to wake up, yawning from being immobilised by the seal. It looked around itself until it managed to see Shiemi in front of it. It immediately charged after her in absolute starvation and love as it scurried across the pool of bugs towards her. Rin and Shiemi gasped and Rin charged towards the other side. The pool of bugs caused so much resistance it felt as if he was running in water. Rin's heart palpitated as he desperately tried to reach the other side before the lantern catches its prey on Rin's shoulders.

Amitiel unsheathed her blades and stood on stand-by in case the plan went awry.

"This way, you!" Shiemi looked back as she called the lantern, which was galloping across the pit of maggots. Maggots flew all over the place as the lantern charged towards the duo.

Rin cut her off as he yelled, "don't _call _to it!"

Rin screamed when he reached the end. The lantern pounced out of the pit of bugs in order to stop him. Rin tossed Shiemi aside as the lantern landed hard on the cart.

Konekomaru quickly slapped a seal on it and began chanting a secret sutra of the _Great Immovable Acala_. "_Kan!_" Konekomaru brought his index fingers together and chanted, "_kei shu sei mu do son hi mitsu da ra ni kyo…_"

The lantern tried to resist the seal's power but slowly went into a hibernating state and was no longer moving again. Amitiel sighed and sheathed her blades. Suguro met up with the rest as Konekomaru was just finishing his chant.

Konekomaru wiped the sweat off his forehead and Shima proudly shouted, "we did it! ... and I didn't do anything!"

"Rin! We made it!" Shiemi shouted happily, as Rin leaned his hand on one of the bridge's posts.

"Finally, let's get this bad-boy back to base… after I take a break!" Rin said, but was interrupted when the post creaked back from Rin leaning his weight on it. Everyone grit their teeth in utter tension.

"You idiot! Don't touch _anything_!" Suguro yelled. He had been waiting too long to yell at Rin again.

Rin immediately removed his hand off the post and felt his skin crawl in horror as the post continued to creak loudly, until it stopped moving. Everyone sighed in relief and Rin proceeded to move forward, whistling coolly in an attempt to keep himself calm. Everyone was still hoping the bridge wouldn't fall down.

Rin stopped walking when the bridge suddenly collapsed behind him. It was so loud it sent nearby moths and birds flying all over the sky, along with seals flapping and flying around in the air.

Rin closed his eyes and hoped nothing was disturbed but was caught off guard when long, purple tongues wrapped around Rin's torso, arms, and legs. The pool of bugs rippled violently until a giant moth emerged from the pit, holding Rin hostage in the air with its long tongues. This moth was bigger than the previous one, in fact, it also had brilliant colourful wings with patterns mimicking the appearance of a pair of eyes. This was the mother of all the moths in this forest.

Rin screamed helplessly as the others looked at him in such disdain, Suguro was thinking of abandoning him due to his stupidity. Amitiel unsheathed her blades and prepared to fight another giant moth.

"What the hell were you _thinking_?!" Ryuji shouted angrily at Rin, who was too busy trying to free himself.

_Dammit! I can't move my body!_ Rin cursed in his mind, as he was unable to use his sword to smack the moth's tongues off. Either way, he knew it wouldn't free him unless he had his real sword on him. If the students aren't present, he could use his flames and free himself…

Rin got an idea and urged the others to ignore him. _Wait… I'll just use my flames again when everyone's gone!_

"I'm alright!" Rin shouted to calm everyone down. "I'll deal with it and catch up with you guys! Just worry about getting that lantern back to base!"

Ryuji shot him a scornful glare. "You… you're doing this again!" Ryuji clenched his fists and teeth at how Rin was unable to learn he was not alone. This time, Suguro will not run away again. He never will.

"Sorry! I've done this a thousand times but it's fine, really!" Rin shouted.

"Of course it isn't, dumbass! I'm gonna help ya!" Ryuji shouted with such certainty it surprised Rin into silence.

"Shima! Gimme your staff!" Ryuji ordered his friend behind him.

Shima was reluctant at first but tossed his only weapon anyway. Ryuji caught it and held it tight. "Hana, when that moth is stunned, I want ya to cut that moth's tongues off and free Okumura!"

Amitiel nodded and prepared to jump.

"Everyone else, get ready to run!" Ryuji exclaimed.

Rin watched as Ryuji picked up one of the seals off the ground and threw it in the air.

_Why… do they want to help me out so bad?_ Rin thought. _I've… never had anyone care enough to help me with anything._

_Besides… am I even worth saving?_

Ryuji threw the staff towards the seal. It zipped across and hit the seal, puncturing it. The staff flew towards the moth until it hit the moth's forehead. The moth shook its head to shake it off but the staff had lodged itself into its head.

Ryuji brought his hands together with his Mala beads enveloping them and chanted, "_namah… samantavajranam…ham mam!_"

The staff suddenly produced lighting and it struck the moth so hard it stunned it for a moment. The moth gurgled loudly in pain. Amitiel noticed her cue and jumped off and slashed the tongues off with such precision the demon had no time to react to what had happened since it was too stunned. Rin fell into the pool of bugs screaming like a maniac, while Amitiel landed safely on the ground. She swiped her blades at the ground and blood splattered on the soil.

"_Kiriku_!" Ryuji shouted and the staff returned to him and he caught it.

Rin emerged from the pit of maggots. Ryuji offered Rin his hand and he pulled him out of the pit.

"That was so cool!" Rin exclaimed in awe.

"This is all I can do!" Ryuji said.

"Wait, you didn't beat it?"

"RUN!"

Everyone didn't look back as Rin quickly pushed the cart forward as much as his body could take while everyone else followed. The moth crashed through the trees, toppling them down and screamed in anger as it desperately chased the students.

"Oh shit! We've got company!" Suguro yelled, preparing to say another prayer.

Amitiel felt the demon's presence and jumped on top of the lantern. Shiemi gasped as Amitiel sheathed her blades and locked her hands together in front of her chest. Amitiel closed her eyes and chanted, "In virtute possideo, Ego præcipio tibi, relinquo mea praesentia!"

_By the power I possess, I command thee leave my presence!_

When Amitiel opened her eyes she gestured her hands into a cross and a flash of white light blinded everyone and the demon while it was smote on the spot.

Everyone was awed by Amitiel's abnormally powerful chants but didn't waver from slowing down. The group continued running away while the demon remained smoking on the ground, its beautiful, colourful wings burnt away into soot.

Once they ran for several minutes, Amitiel looked back and decided they were far enough away to escape the demon. Amitiel signalled to stop and the students took a long pause to breath and catch their breaths.

Rin huffed in exhaustion, with his hands on his knees, but he managed to let out a few words of gratitude towards Suguro. "Thanks for saving me, man!" Rin said as he smiled warmly at Suguro.

Suguro breathed before he replied with a serious expression upon his face. "Don't thank me. I was just returning the favour…" Suguro said looking at the ground beneath him.

"For what?" Rin was confused.

"Because you saved _me_…" Suguro spoke. "You… who swore to defeat Satan just like me… and had the balls to declare it openly!"

Rin paused but shrugged his shoulders while scratching the back of his head with a goofy smile plastered on his face. "Well, ya know me… I just an idiot who doesn't think at all so—"

"I don't think you're an idiot," Suguro said then straightened himself up. He turned towards Rin with a determined spark in his eyes.

"But you should stop trying to take on every problem by yourself, because you have friends here that can help you!"

Rin's mouth opened slightly, but not enough to show how truly surprised he was at what Suguro was saying.

"You don't really think you can take on Satan all by your own, right?" Konekomaru said with a friendly grin. "We'll help you out however we can!"

"Well said, Bon and Koneko! Though I'll be useless if bugs are involved ha ha…" Renzo smiled nervously. "I might run the other way when it comes to Satan but…"

Shiemi smiled warmly at Rin. The glow of fire burning in the lantern cast a warm aura around her. "Rin, we're all here for you!" Shiemi smiled, which was as warm as the fire behind her.

Rin felt the urge to smile in gratitude at what he was hearing. He stopped when he felt a warm hand rest on his shoulder. Rin turned around to see Amitiel. The fire of the lantern reflected in her dark brown eyes, making her look almost angelical.

"Rin, no matter what hardships we'll come across, I'll stand by your side and fight, and I always will," Amitiel said. "I know you're a good person, Rin, and I will be honoured to fight with you."

Rin saw her form a small, faint smile on her lips. It made Rin feel weak in the knees seeing Hana smile for the first time. To be honest, it looked crooked.

But to be honest, it was beautiful in every way.

Rin smiled warmly as he held onto her hand on his shoulder. Renzo noticed something and whispered to Konekomaru, who only smiled delightfully.

Rin and Amitiel found themselves staring into their eyes again. Rin couldn't hold back his blushing as he felt words come out of his mouth. "Hana, I—"

Suguro interrupted by clearing his throat, which caused Amitiel and Rin to look away from each other. Rin still had a blush on his cheeks and his heart was pounding like never before.

"Alright, now that we escaped that demon, we should get back before dawn." Suguro said, pointing his thumb in the direction to the base.

The students gathered their strength and continued on back to base. As they walked silently, Rin only thought about one question in mind.

_I wonder what would happen if everyone found out I was Satan's son…_

_What would happen then...?_

* * *

It took half an hour for the gang to finally reach the camp site. Everyone was exhausted but relieved when they could make out Shura patiently waiting for them by the fire. Upon entering, the students noticed that Izumo and Takara had already brought the remaining peg lanterns that were scattered around the forest.

"Finally! We made it!" Shima said as he stretched his arms up and heaved a relieving sigh.

"Congratulations," Shura said. "You all passed in one piece."

"What the hell!?" Suguro yelled upon seeing Izumo and Takara, each siting by their lanterns. "Since when did ya finish?!"

"Oh please, it wasn't that difficult. I just made my familiars do it." Izumo spoke in a prideful manner. "Though Takara made it before I did."

"Just what are you, Takara-kun?" Konekomaru asked, but Takara didn't respond.

"Ow!" Shiemi yelped and clasped her hand behind her neck. Rin was first to notice.

"Huh?" Rin asked. "What's wrong?"

"It… hurts…" Shiemi whispered in pain, still clutching the back of her neck.

"Moriyama-san?" Amitiel noticed her pain.

"I don't know, she suddenly got some pain in her neck," Rin said, concern grew rapidly on Amitiel's face.

Amitiel frowned as she looked at Shiemi carefully.

Shura counted the students and noticed something was off. "Hold on a sec. You're all here, so no one gave up!" Shura frowned. "Then who set off that bottle rocket earlier…?"

"Ow…" Shiemi spoke and Amitiel stood behind her and lifted Shiemi's silky platinum blond strands away from her neck. When Amitiel could make out her neck, her eyes widened at what she saw. There was a lump crawling under Shiemi's skin, which made her wince each time it wiggled.

_It's… a demon!_ Amitiel gasped. _H-How…? Why didn't I sense it earlier?!_

_I've… become so distracted lately…_

"Kirigakure-san—!" Amitiel called but was interrupted when she felt a menacing aura from above. She immediately recognised it and noticed it was Amaimon. She realised he was falling down above Rin and she proceeded to sprint towards Rin. Rin and the others noticed a howl coming from above and Rin looked up to see a shadow falling down towards him.

"Rin! Get out of the way!" Amitiel yelled as she grabbed Rin and the two dodged just in time before Amaimon landed hard right in Rin's previous place. Amitiel and Rin crashed onto the dirt, both with the looks of horror on their faces.

"Hana!" Rin said but gasped when he saw Amaimon before him.

"Go! Behemoth!" Amaimon commanded and the hobgoblin he carried as a pet was released from its chains and it pursued Rin with its lumpy, slobbering tongue flapping in the wind.

_Damn! It's that bastard from the amusement park!_ Rin stood agape.

Before Behemoth could sink its dirty teeth into Rin, Shura deflected it by swinging her sword, creating a shockwave that blew the hobgoblin back. "Don't just stand there like an idiot!" Shura yelled.

Rin stood speechless at the situation.

"It's 'bout time!" Shura said as she whistled loudly. The campfire suddenly morphed into a flaming rattlesnake. "EEK! A _snake_!" Izumo screamed and back away.

The snake suddenly became fire and spread to each poles of the circle. The circle and its glyphs glowed a brilliant ember like burning coals until a bright, destructive flash sent Amaimon and behemoth flying out of range. The demon king landed into the trees beside Mephisto, who was siting on an elegantly designed Victorian-style seat. It was floating in mid-air as well as a tea set beside him.

"Heh heh heh…" Mephisto chuckled with an amused grin. "I was going to savour a leisurely cup of tea, but I suppose that will have to wait," Mephisto said, thrill coursed through his veins. "She is quite formidable, Amaimon."

Amaimon emerged out of the tree tops with an annoyed frown on his face. "I'm gonna kill her," Amaimon said with no expression in his voice.

"Absolutely not," Mephisto disagreed. "If you harm any one of them, I shall kill you." Mephisto grinned.

"What about that angel? I wanna tear her halo out," Amaimon asked.

"That…" Mephisto paused, "will have to wait. You can torture her all you like but she is not something to be underestimated. I daresay she can kill you if she showed her true potential. Now focus on the task."

"My apologies, I'll restrain myself," Amaimon said without any sincerity in his words.

"What the hell was that?" Suguro asked in shock.

"It's an absolute barrier. It protects anyone within the circle and banishes the ones outside it. We should be safe for the time being," Shura said as she drove her purple sword into the ground.

"H-Hold on a sec!" Izumo shouted. "Who was that?"

"Is this part of training?!" Suguro inquired again.

Shura remained silent as she put her magenta hair up into a messy bun. "Alright, training's over. Right now, we need to prepare for Amaimon's next assault."

"Amai—!" Izumo shouted but was interrupted as Shura continued to speak.

"We'll need to protect ourselves with Triple-C concentrated holy water, so c'mere." Shura said as she approached one of the tents and fetched a jug filled with holy water.

"_Amaimon_?!" Izumo blurted out. "You mean that was one of the _Baal_, the king of Earth… that was him!?"

Shura lifted up a heavy jug and replied, "yep, he's a big shot so you kids have no chance against him. I'll bolster you guys with holy water, now line up!"

"What's Amaimon doing—" Izumo was interrupted again when water splashed all over her, drenching her purple side tails and clothes.

"Is this some kind of—" Shima got splashed before he could finish. "… joke?"

Shura proceeded to splash Rin but immediately stopped. "Oops," Shura pursed her lips. "That was a close one, I wouldn't want to get any on you!" Shura splashed Suguro, Konekomaru, Shiemi, and Amitiel.

Shura tossed the empty jug aside after each of the students were drenched in holy water. Amitiel felt a little indignant since she was confident she didn't require holy water to protect her.

Shura made the sign of the cross as she spoke, "In the beginning, God created Heaven and Earth…There." Shura put her hands on her hips. "Until ya dry off, any damage you receive will be minimised fo' a brief period of time."

"So why doesn't Okumura get some?" Suguro asked, something Shura hoped she could avoid answering.

Shura tapped her bottom lip and came up with a quick excuse. "Oh, he's, uh… allergic to holy water!" Shura snapped her fingers.

"Allergic to _HOLY WATER_?!" Suguro shouted indignantly. "Is that even a _thing_?!"

Amitiel frowned when she realised Shura lied.

_What… is she lying about…?_ Amitiel gazed at Rin with mere suspicion.

Rin decided to change the topic before things got more suspicious. "Uh, where's Yukio?" Rin said when he noticed his absence.

"Oh, he was being a pain in my ass, so I had him get lost," Shura said, relaxed and calm about the situation.

"Huh?!" Rin blurted, unaware Yukio was fighting against the demon that attacked Shiemi, this time multiple others had ganged up on him.

"Dammit…" Izumo said as her phone kept on ringing. "I can't even contact the academy! What's going on here?!" Izumo pushed the red cancel button in frustration.

"I can't get any service either," Shima said upon checking the strength of the signal his phone was receiving.

"It's not surprising for us to be unable to contact the authorities…" Amitiel said, placing one of her hands on the hilt of her blade.

_Samael probably enclosed the entire forest in a timeless sphere, which means nothing can get in or out of it… including the signal the students' phones are trying to reach._ Amitiel thought in deep concentration with her eyes closed. Amitiel was a little surprised she knew more than she anticipated when it comes to cell-phones and technology.

"Why Amaimon here, anyways?" Suguro said.

"Beats me, maybe he just wants to play a little…" Shura said as she rested herself beside the tent and positioned her sword in front of her, leaning against her shoulder.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Amitiel opened her eyes and looked beside and stared at Rin. "Nothing's wrong, it's just… what does Amaimon want from us?" Amitiel clenched her fists.

Rin looked at her, a little lost in what he was going to say to cheer her up, because he finally realised something that Amitiel's question answered him.

Amaimon wants Rin.

_Dammit…_ Rin grit his teeth in frustration. _Why do my friends have to be dragged into this? It's all because of me, right?_

"I have to talk to Shura about something, just stay close to us. I don't want to risk you getting hurt again," Rin said.

Amitiel crossed her arms. "It's not like I have anywhere else to go…"

Rin walked over to Shura, he looked around himself before he could preak freely about himself.

"Hey, I don't know the reason why, but I know he wants me," Rin said.

"I know that, but relax. This shield is so impenetrable that not even Amaimon can breach it," Shura said with a calm smile upon her face. "Though it seems he has some sort of plan this time."

Rin knelt beside her as Shura added, "the next time he shows up, take the Kurikara and get the hell out of here. It's not worth getting the others involved."

"But—!" Rin protested but Shura proceeded to summoning his sword from a seal etched on her stomach. She hovered her hand above it and spoke, "_come forth and serve thy bearer…"_

Her symbols glowed and Rin's sword, still wrapped in its red case, emerged from the seal as if it was passing through her body. Shura grabbed it and shoved it in his face.

"There, take it," Shura said.

Rin was stunned speechless, which annoyed Shura to the point she waved it at him and repeated herself. "Whaddya waiting for? You've always begged me to give it back like a cranky kid, nyah ha ha!"

"But… But you said I had to beat you for it!" Rin shouted.

"So? I also said I'd give it back when I felt like it!" Shura taunted him.

"I thought you wanted me to _suppress_ my flames! You told me not to use it!" Rin shouted again.

"Oh, shut yer trap, ya moron. I told ya not to use it, but ya go ahead and use it anyway! You can't hide anything from me!" Shura laughed, which caused Rin to frown in utter shame.

"Anyways, without this sword, what can you possibly do to protect yourself from Amaimon? He's no bottom-feeder like other demons you've encountered. So think about that alright?" Shura said with a sincere nod.

"… Right." Rin nodded in agreement.

Amitiel looked at Rin, then at the others, and then at Shiemi. She was thinking about a plan that may save everyone from Amaimon, but that would mean she would have to reveal her true self, and throwing away her identity will put her at greater risk of being identified by the son of Satan.

However, there was one thing she can do in her current state—she must protect the Exwires and Rin at all costs. Amitiel began to slowly back up towards the end of the circle. She knew she would have to fight Amaimon in order to divert his attention away from the students so that the students have a chance to escape without being caught. It was a risk she knew she had to take. She knew she can take on Amaimon without struggle, but what made it unsure is whether or not she can fool Amaimon. Any demon related to Satan was as keen and clever as their father himself. Amaimon was no idiot.

But she isn't one, either.

Amitiel looked at the students to make sure no one was looking as she stepped out of the circle. A sense of feeling naked coursed through her as she felt vulnerable outside the barrier. She unsheathed her swords and stepped away further towards the forest. Before she took a step in, a wave of aura rushed through her and she blocked the incoming intruder. Her blades collided with Amaimon's nails as he smiled in a childlike manner, whispering, "Oni, your it, Tenshi-san!"

Amitiel grit her teeth and proceeding to kick him but he wrapped his muscular arm around her neck, restraining her while also choking her. Amitiel gagged and it caught the students' and Shura's attention.

"Hana!" Rin screamed.

"Goddammit!" Shura shouted as she held Rin back from charging towards Amaimon. Amaimon squeezed Amitiel's throat and she wheezed, but she didn't show any pain on her face.

"Oi, let her go, you green freak!" Rin screamed at him, though he felt so useless without his sword in Shura's hand.

Amaimon punched Amitiel in the face, provoking Rin, but not to the point of him bursting into flames. Though he was very close to.

Amitiel's nose began to bleed as a trail fell down to her lips. Amitiel felt the blood pool in her mouth and she managed to spit at Amaimon's face. "Do you know who I am, demon?" Amitiel growled.

"Yes, you are someone special to him, are you not?" Amaimon said as he licked the blood off his face, clearly not annoyed by what she did.

"What…?" Amitiel croaked.

Rin's heart fell a thousand storeys at what horrible torture ideas Amaimon can come up with on Hana. The vivid images of all the possible ways frightened him to the point he went pale.

"You… don't screw with me, or Hana," Rin shook.

Everyone was so shocked that they didn't even notice Shiemi began to walk towards Amaimon.

"...Hey?! What's Moriyama-san doing?" Shima said as he was first to notice. Shura choked on her own spit when she saw Shiemi walking straight towards Amaimon in a lifeless manner.

Shura's heart palpitated as she desperately sprinted towards Shiemi after she stepped out of the circle. "Oi...oi oi OI! You stop, now!" As Shura ran, she noticed a worm-like bump wiggling through Shiemi's neck.

"Is that a ...parasite?" Shura gasped.

When Shiemi reached Amaimon, he used his other hand and caressed her head against him.

"Shiemi!" Rin couldn't take it anymore and ran, but Shura threw her sword's blade straight in front of him, almost close enough to slice his nose off. He shrieked and stopped immediately.

"What the hell did you do to her!?" Shura commanded.

"I had a female Chuchi lay an egg in this human lady's neck," Amaimon said as he stroked Shiemi's head. Her eyes seemed lost in thought as she wasn't aware of what was happening. "However, it took some time for it to hatch and feed on her spinal cord. Now she's become my personal bitch."

Rin grit his teeth in pure rage.

"Now, before I have some fun with you, I would like you to choose which one to be the damsel in distress. This one?" Amaimon squeezed Amitiel's throat with his forearm, causing her to yelp. Rin almost lost it for a second. "… Or this one?" Amaimon spoke while he stroked Shiemi's blond hair. "Both seem very special to you—what a complicating decision to make, hmm?"

Rin felt his chest knot up from stress as his decision will decide the fate of Amitiel and Shiemi. Is Amaimon letting him pick which one to keep alive? He couldn't decide who he should choose. He didn't want to decide. Rin's heart throbbed against his rib cage so hard it actually hurt him.

Rin never felt so scared, not since he first encountered his real father.

"Tick tock, their lives are running out…" Amaimon sang which sent chills down the students' and Shura's spines. "Or should I decide myself? Let's see…" Amaimon looked at both girls in his grip. "How about this one?" Amaimon looked at Amitiel and pure horror exploded on Rin's face. Before Rin was able to scream, Amitiel had no choice but to reveal a part of herself. She disappeared out of thin air from Amaimon's arm and stood beside Rin. Suguro and the others recoiled in absolute shock at Amitiel's sudden unnatural escape.

"WHAT THE—!" Suguro cut himself off.

"Hana!" Rin pulled her into a tight hug, "how the hell did you do that?!" Rin shook her on the shoulders but Amitiel didn't answer.

"It's not important, we need to save Moriyama-san," Amitiel said, Rin was about to say something but was soon pulled away by Shura as Amaimon spoke.

"So it's decided, huh? Let's play now!" Amaimon said as he jumped high into the trees with Shiemi on his arm while imitating a 'boing' sound with his voice.

"Get back here, Cone-Head!" Rin sprinted towards Amaimon's direction.

"Oi!" Shura called out for him.

Rin sprinted but had to stop when Amaimon's pet hobgoblin jumped onto a branch above Rin. The two stared at each other menacingly. Behemoth's mouth dripped with slobber as it growled, then it jumped off and prepared to attack Rin. Before it could touch Rin, Shura ran and deflected the demon by hitting it with her sword. It was thrown back and held on to a nearby branch. Shura tossed Rin his sword as she added, "get him! I'll follow you!"

"Wait—! What are you doing!?" Suguro yelled.

"All of you are forbidden from leaving this circle until I get back, got it?" Shura commanded then proceeded with following Rin with Behemoth on her tail.

"But—!" Suguro tried to protest but Shura already disappeared in the woods. Suguro could only frown indignantly. _He's… doing it again!_

_Rin… just what are you hiding…?_ Amitiel spoke in her head, as her suspicion never ceased to stop rising.

Amitiel didn't hesitate to follow them, despite Shura's warning and the students' pleas for her to stay back.

* * *

"You bastard!" Rin chased after Amaimon through the forest. "What do you want from me?!"

Amaimon pounced to the next tree branch and stood still.

"What are ya gonna do to Shiemi?!" Rin inquired desperately.

"That's a good question! Let's see…" Amaimon snapped his fingers when an idea popped in his mind. "I know, I'll make her my bride!"

"WHAT?!" Rin looked at Amaimon in utter disgust and rage.

"Let's share our vows…" Amaimon started as he spoke to Shiemi, who was siting on his arm. "Do you promise to be faithful to me, in sickness and in health, to love, to honour me, and help me, until death do us part?"

Shiemi nodded in a lifeless manner, her eyes stared at him with a dull green as the light in her eyes faded away.

"Now then, to seal our love, I will now bite off the bride's lips…" Amaimon opened his mouth as he proceeded, his tongue was sewn in saliva, which deeply disgusted Rin to the point his rage doubled over.

Rin roared as he jumped at Amaimon and raised his sword high, screaming, "KNOCK IT OFF!"

The sword hit Amaimon in the forehead with the force of being hit by a pickup truck, however, Amaimon didn't flinch as he blocked Rin's attack with his fingers.

"That…" Amaimon flicked his fingers at Rin. "Was what I was gonna say."

Rin was thrown back as Amaimon's punch created a large shockwave that ripped nearby trees' roots out of the ground and debris, earth, rocks, and leaves scattered all over the place and followed Rin as he was hurled back yards away.

The students watched in utter horror as Amaimon flew at Rin and kicked him down, sending him crashing into the ground, creating large ripples in the earth as rocks and plants shot out into the sky.

"Why won't you draw that sword already?" Amaimon asked as Rin was painting on the ground. He coughed up blood and glared at Amaimon. "I really hate it when people take too long. I'm starting to get bored," Amaimon added.

The students were still shocked by Amaimon's brutal assault on Rin, but Ryuji was first to snap out of it, only to be filled full of rage and contempt.

"_That goddamn bastard_!" Suguro growled, clenching his teeth and fists. Shima swore Ryuji popped a vein on his forehead. Suguro pushed himself forward and stepped out of the barrier.

"B-Bon!" Konekomaru called out. "We're not supposed to leave the circle!"

"What the hell do you think you're doing—!" Izumo yelled at him.

Shima stopped his friend by latching his hand over Suguro's shoulder. "Bon, please try to calm down, okay?" Shima smiled nervously.

Suguro's face sent chills down to Shima's pants when Suguro turned around to face him. He looked monstrous with those sharp eyes.

"I'm so freakin' pissed I'm gonna kill somebody! 'Calm down,' my ass! You can shove it up yours!" Suguro raged and ripped himself out of Shima's grip and proceeded further into the forest, chasing after Rin.

"Bon! Shima!" Konekomaru called out but realised it was hopeless. Konekomaru stood back, but reluctantly built up the courage to follow Suguro and stepped out of the circle.

"Are you kidding?! It's suicide to take on that guy!" Izumo protested.

Everyone disappeared into the bushes, leaving Izumo stranded and stuck alone.

_Dammit… they're a bunch of idiots! No way am I following them!_

* * *

Amitiel could hear Rin's screams as Amaimon played him like he was a punching bag. To be honest, Amitiel was shocked Rin was still alive after all Amaimon did.

Still…

_I have to protect him!_ Amitiel said in her head with vigour.

Amitiel continued to run without stopping through the bushes, using her senses to track down where Amaimon and Rin were.

Amitiel heard Rin scream again and her heart felt like it pounced into her throat. She doubled her speed, zipping through the bushes until she stopped when she saw Yukio emerge from the bushes ahead of her. She stopped and yelled, "where did you go?!"

Yukio gasped when he heard her and turned towards Amitiel, his hands holding his pistols. "I was sent to save one of you! Who set off that bottle rocket?" Yukio panted.

"None of us did. It was an act to lure you away," Amitiel said, which caused Yukio's eyes to widen. "I'm willing to bet Shiemi was attacked by Amaimon and he stole her bottle rocket…"

"What?! Is Shiemi-san okay?!" Yukio yelped.

"She was fine until Amaimon kidnapped her," Amitiel looked at him with determination scorching in her dark amber eyes. "Amaimon's using Shiemi as bait to lure Rin."

"What?" Yukio gasped. Another one of Rin's pained screams shot into the sky and the earth around it shot up as Rin crashed into the ground.

"Nii-san!" Yukio shouted then began running. "Follow me!"

Amitiel didn't protest as she charged with him.

* * *

"Why aren't you drawing your sword?" Amaimon hovered over and asked Rin, how was beaten up and bloody on the cliff.

Rin didn't flinch or move. Amaimon was only answered with silence.

"Hello...?" Amaimon called out to Rin. "Oops, did I accidentally kill him?" Amaimon touched his lower lip. "I thought I was going gentle on him... Father isn't going to be pleased."

"You... bastard..." A hoarse whisper escaped from Rin, who was barely conscious. He still gripped his sword but didn't dare draw it. He wasn't going to let Amaimon bait him into drawing his sword. He didn't want to cause anymore trouble.

"Ah, you're still alive! You can still go at it, no?" Amaimon asked, but Rin could only stand on his hands and coughed out blood. "Don't you want to save this lady?"

Rin looked up at Amaimon with hatred burning bright in his azure eyes. "_Go to hell..._"

Amaimon frowned, not because he was offended, but because he wasted all that time trying to provoke Rin into drawing his sword. "Hmm, then I guess this human being is useless to me..." Amaimon said then decided to try something else. "Oh! But I may as well collect one of her eyeballs," Amaimon taunted.

Rin grit his teeth in utter rage.

"I have a cousin who's into the occult of collecting human eyeballs. I might as well grab a souvenir!" Amaimon said as he approached his black, sharp nails to Shiemi's face.

"STOP!" Rin screamed but was cut off when a bottle rocket flew by Amaimon and his face and exploded behind him. Amaimon looked surprised and looked back. Rin gasped and saw Ryuji, Konekomaru, and Shima at the bottom of the cliff, each holding a bottle rocket and a lit match.

"Sorry we're late for the party!" Ryuji shouted.

"Get away, you dumbass!" Rin pleaded desperately.

"Okumura, the moment he gets stunned, run away!" Suguro said, gripping his bottle rocket.

"I-I'm just here to save Moriyama-chan, okay?" Shima admitted.

Before Suguro was ready to light his bottle rocket, Konekomaru unknowingly held his match too close to his and the string sparked. Konekomaru panicked and the rocket slipped out of his hand and flew straight towards Amaimon. A loud 'POP' sounded as the bottle rocket exploded on Amaimon's head.

Everyone was stunned as Konekomaru shouted, "oh, cripes! It slipped!"

"Koneko! Why did you do that to Moriyama-chan!?" Shima yelled at him.

Suguro looked confused as the smoke dissipated around Amaimon, revealing his spike on his head has swollen to the shape of a green bush.

Everyone stared in shock, until Shima couldn't resist and held back his laughter. "It...looks like_ broccoli_...!"

Unfortunately, Amaimon heard what he said, pounced in front of Shima, and kicked him back with such force Shima hit a nearby tree, rupturing his ribs. Shima laid in pain and wheezing as his friends called out to him.

Amaimon turned towards Suguro and backed up with a glare. "Get away from—!" Suguro started but Konekomaru stepped between him and Amaimon with arms wide.

"Konekomaru!" Ryuji shouted as Amaimon poked him in the arm, breaking it, while maintaining his threatening glare on Suguro. Konekomaru howled in extreme pain and fell to the ground.

"You—!" Suguro was cut off as Amaimon latched his hand around Suguro's tender throat and raised him off the ground.

"You laughed at me," Amaimon bellowed.

"Screw off! Like I give a damn about you..." Suguro choked. "The one I'm pissed off about... is you! Okumura!"

Rin gasped.

"You've acted so selfish and distant, yet you never hesitate to save someone! You look like a normal guy yet you kick ass like no other!" Suguro yelled. "You're a mystery... JUST WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

"I-I'm..." Rin felt the truth urge itself out, but was too speechless to continue.

"What are you talking about?" Amaimon asked. "I don't like to be _ignored._" Amaimon squeezed Suguro's throat, forcing him to scream from unbearable pain.

Suguro's scream provoked Rin.

"_STOOOOOOP_!" Rin screamed desperately, as he threw his sword's cover on the ground, revealing its glossy, shiny sheath glimmering in the moonlight. Rin's memories with his friends replayed in his mind at such speed he couldn't keep up with all the joyous moments he had with them.

_Everyone here... _Rin thought_. Is so...so kind!_

"I am..." Rin spoke, but was interrupted when Yukio emerged from the forest beside the cliff.

"Nii-san!" Yukio called, with Amitiel was beside him. "It's a trap! Don't give in!" Yukio panted nervously.

"Yukio... I'm sorry.." Rin said, which provoked Yukio to gasp. "But I'm not cut to lie through everything... That's why... I'll use my power for an act of kindness!"

With determination in his pained, blue eyes, Rin drew the sword.

* * *

**A/N: * From the official translation: A Buddhist term meaning "to die."**

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**There you have it. The moment you've all been waiting for. I already have the next chapter outlined so it should be up soon.**

**Also, thank you so so so much for your patience! I knew it's been more than 3 months since the last update but life's being a bitch to me. My depression has finally passed for the time being and I found the inspiration to continue writing and drawing! I can't express how grateful I am for all the support I got from you!**

**Thank you!**

**PS: There are only around 3-4 chapters left of this fic, then I will proceed towards the next fic of this series, which will be called Impure Fire.**

**PS (2): HailsStorm's birthday is coming up on the 13th ! Go give him/her a big hug with lots of love! \/'3'/ /**

**PS (3)(holy shit): I know it can get boring when you have to read dialogue from the manga, but i find it gets so choppy if you cut it all out. I find it flows very well when you retell the whole story and add your own elements to it.**


	26. Chapter 25: Revelations

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (青の祓魔師（エクソシスト)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火—Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 25: Revelations**_

* * *

**"Yukio, I'm sorry," Rin said, grasping his sword with both hands in front of him.** "But I'm not cut to lie through everything... That's why... I'll use my power for an act of kindness!"

Rin didn't hesitate and unsheathed his sword. The moment the silver blade slipped out of the sheath, it glowed a brilliant, hot blue and flames licked in the surface of the blade. In an instant, a powerful surge of energy rushed through Amitiel like violent ocean waves, fully realizing the origin of that power.

Rin felt his ears elongate, as his fangs became sharper, and his tail unfurled around his waist and the tip of it lit up in flames. Rin's senses heightened as he felt his two flaming horns form on his head. His body was consumed in blue flames yet they felt like nothing but smoke gently dancing around his skin while everything else around him burned without mercy.

Everyone stood in shock at what was before them, including Amaimon. Though after a few seconds, Amaimon had a euphoric smile on his face and he released both Suguro and Shiemi. Konekomaru caught her despite his arm was broken, though he didn't stop to stare at Rin in his true form.

Amitiel looked ahead and saw Rin, engulfed in the blue flames she had been searching for 15 grueling years. She felt the son of Satan from Rin, the one she had been sent to kill. The one she had sensed all this time. The one that had been by her side this whole time. Amitiel's eyes slowly widened and her mouth dropped. Yukio saw her silent reaction and her face became pale. She let out small, shuddering breaths as she stared at Rin silently traumatized.

"Ya wanna play? Then come on, let's play!" Rin exclaimed, flashing his bright blue eyes, which had glowing slit red pupils.

Amaimon laughed in joy as he charged for Rin and the two clashed together. Sparks flew as Rin's sword collided with Amaimon's nails. They both jumped in the air and fought, summersaulting and kicking each other.

As the two demons fought, Suguro stood paralysed in shock while Konekomaru was only able to whisper, "Okumura-kun, is he—?"

"Blue… flames," Suguro whispered, fear was in his eyes, as well as visions of all the faces of those who had died in the Blue Night flashed in his mind. Suguro was also able to noticed something else about Rin when Suguro observed the sword in Rin's hands. "Koumaken…" Suguro spoke.

"Huh?" Konekomaru blurted.

"Kurikara..." Suguro finished in broken up sentences.

Yukio grit his teeth in irritation as he grabbed Amitiel's arm to direct her away from the fight scene, but she was immobile.

"Tanaka-san! We have to go now—!"

Yukio stopped when he saw the shock written all over her face. But it was something he had never seen from Hana. Her face appeared as though she had just witnessed her one friend die in the claws of Satan.

Amitiel watched as Rin fought Amaimon. Both became increasingly feral as they clawed and punched each other. Rin swung his sword at Amaimon, launching a large wave of his blue flames straight on course to Amaimon. Rin charged through the blue flames and emerged from them before Amaimon. That one glimpse of his satanic blue eyes forced Amitiel to throw her head back while clawing her hair and let out a terrifying scream. She saw _his_ sadistic smirk and the eyes of insanity, haunting her to the very soul.

Yukio and the others shuddered and couldn't help but cover their ears as they began to ring. Amitiel's scream was almost inhuman, to be honest, it sounded demonic in nature, with a hint of an innocent girl's cry.

"Tanaka-san!" Yukio shouted at Amitiel as she fell on her knees, still grabbing at her hair, yet not ripping it.

Yukio tried to desperately calm her down, yet she remained unresponsive with her hands digging through her hair and scalp. Her traumatized eyes faced the ground and her hair covered her pale face.

Yukio placed his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to calm her, but she was shivering uncontrollably as if she were going into hypothermia. He also noticed how cold she felt.

Yukio could hear Amitiel whimper erratically under her breath. "Tanaka-san, we have to get out of—"

Yukio stopped when he felt she no longer shook anymore.

"Hic mihi missionem. Oportet me conficere potuerunt..." Amitiel spoke calmly as she set her hands down, leaving her hair plastered over her face.

_This is my mission. I must finish it..._

"Tanaka-san, what are you saying?" Yukio gasped.

"Oportet eum interficerent..."

"Tanaka... San?"

Yukio reached out to her, but Amitiel stood up abruptly, unsheathing her blades and grasped them so hard her knuckles turned white. Yukio had a mixture of confusion and terror on his face as she repeated the same words, over and over and over again.

_Oportet eum interficerent..._

_I must kill him..._

* * *

Inside True Cross Academy, in the exorcism cram school division, Raziel sat on leather chair, surrounded by tomes and books of all the ancient scriptures and verses on demons and exorcisms. He patiently wrote down the next lessons he was going to teach when he felt a surge of aura pass through him. Raziel stopped moving his pen across the paper and gently set it to the side. Raziel looked out the window and could see the darkness form in the sky. There was light flashing in the clouds, yet no rain had fallen yet. Raziel got up and grabbed his exorcist cassock and slipped into it. He grabbed his belt holding his sword and strapped it on.

Raziel stood in front of the entrance door, whispering, "It is time, Amitiel," before he stepped out and disappeared, leaving behind a cool wind flowing through the halls.

* * *

Rin screamed in anger as he swung his sword again to throw another wave of flames at Amaimon, but he dodged just in time for the flames to incinerate the ends of his long, mahogany overcoat.

"It's too beautiful! Just like Father's!" Amaimon laughed hysterically.

Amaimon gasped when Rin swung his sword and drove his foot into Amaimon's back, plunging him down towards the ground. Rin roared and drove his sword though Amaimon, devouring the demon king in blue flames, however, he was not affected by them. Amaimon screamed in pain as Rin pushed his sword against Amaimon's back and the end of the blade poked out of Amaimon's chest, along with a messy trail of dark, hot blood gushing out.

"BURN IN HELL!" Rin screamed. Amaimon felt the skin on his face burn away and he screamed in agony as the two plunged down towards the Earth. Amaimon grit his teeth and saw Rin's tail. He seized it and grabbed it, pulling it until Rin howled in pain and pulled his sword out of Amaimon's back.

The two landed hard on the ground and continued to fight, while Mephisto floated on his chair above them, enjoying the scene.

Mephisto laughed at Rin's foolishness. "A demon's tail is one of their weak points. An intelligent one wouldn't hesitate to hide it. There are still many things you need to understand, starting with your desires."

Rin roared demonically as he charged head-on with Amaimon, meanwhile, Yukio had met up with the others and treated Shiemi from the parasite in her neck. Yukio squeezed her neck in order for the parasite to pop out so that Yukio can pull it out with his tweezers. Yukio looked at the parasite in disgust as it wiggled uncontrollably in the tweezers' grasp. "There," Yukio whispered.

"Oi!" Shura called from behind him. Yukio and others looks backto find her running towards them.

"Where the hell did you go?!" Yukio shouted.

Shura was indignant. "I was busy fighting off Amaimon's pet! It's not like I was screwing around!" Shura protested. She pointed at the trail leaving the forest. "We need to evacuate! It's not safe here—"

Shura was interrupted when a loud rumble shook the ground as Rin and Amaimon charged though the forest, Rin's flames catching every living tree and engulfing it whole without mercy.

You seriously want me to babysit a monster like that, Shiro? Shura thought.

"Where's Tanaka-san?!" Suguro said when he noticed her absence.

"She ran away into the bushes…" Yukio said. "I couldn't keep up… she just… _disappeared_."

"What…?" The students looked frightened, considering the forest was no longer safe.

"Forget it, we'll need to contact the Knights to secure this place, let's go!" Shura shouted as Yukio lifted an unconscious Shiemi on his back. The other students all followed Shura as they cautiously followed the trail towards True Cross Academy.

Rin's sanity began to fade as each second fighting Amaimon in his true form passed. He felt as if all reasoning and awareness was abandoning him, and the flames began to consume his soul. Rin eyes morphed into irregularly shaped irises as his slit pupils glowed a violent red.

Instead of properly fighting with his sword, Rin was frantically swinging his sword around and roaring maniacally, though Amaimon had a hard time keeping track as Rin's fighting became more and more desperate and violent.

"Whereas a demon constantly seeks the pleasures denied by others… Human intentions, though indefinite, are easily corruptible," Mephisto spoke as the violent fight continued below. "So tell me… which path will _you_ choose?"

A thunderous sound shook the forest when Rin drove Amaimon straight into the ground, cracking the earth around him. The students, Yukio, and Shura all stopped to gaze at the battle. The forest had been eaten away by the blue flames, which illuminated the dark, cloudy sky in shades of dark blue and bright turquoise. Smoke bellowed up as nature around Rin burned to the ground.

It was like staring into Hell.

Shiemi heard Rin's feral cries and her eyes fluttered open. She saw Rin with Amaimon, both fighting in the air. It seemed time flew by so slow as she noticed Rin was engulfed in blue flames. "Rin…" She whispered.

Rin and Amaimon continued to scream at each other until Rin drove his clawed hand at Amaimon's chest. Before he could penetrate it, a purple gloved hand latched onto Rin and Amaimon's hands, abruptly stopping the fight.

"Alright, playtime is over, children," Mephisto said with a crooked smile. His forest green eyes glowed under the shadow of his white top hat. "Dawn is nigh, and it is time for you two to return to your homes."

"...B-But you said I could play with him as long as I want! As long as I did what I was told!" Amaimon protested, for a long time, he felt so many emotions he couldn't contain his excitement. His skin on his cheeks had peeled away from being burned by Rin's flames, revealing muscle. His wounds slowly began to heal as they sizzled.

"I'm certain the outcome of this fight is pretty obvious, don't you agree?" Mephisto smirked. "Your differences in strength is overwhel—!"

Mephisto yelped in pain when Amaimon broke free from his grip and punched him right in the face, knocking his hat over his head. Rin roared and clawed at Mephisto, forcing him to release Rin. Amaimon and Rin both continued to brawl like savage animals while Mephisto recovered from Amaimon's punch to his face.

"I'M NOT DONE YET!" Amaimon screamed.

Mephisto fell into the trees, licking the blood trailing down his nose, as he smirked sinisterly. "My, my, what an unruly little brother I have!"

Mephisto spat blood to the side, grasped his umbrella and hat, and tapped the tip of the umbrella to the rim of his hat.

"_Eins, zwei, drei!_" Mephisto spoke. "_Zeitlos uhr Süßigkeiten!_"

Smoke formed into a vortex around Mephisto's hat and emerged out of it, a large intricate clock decorated in candy with a cuckoo bird at the doors waited patiently to reclaim Amaimon.

The cuckoo tweeted as it grabbed hold of Amaimon with its beak and pulled him into the clock, slamming the doors shut.

"Big Brother!" Amaimon screamed before he was dragged into a timeless space reserved specially for him.

"_Zeit, Siegel deine Seele!_" Mephisto spoke and with a wave of his umbrella turned the clock into vibrant, glittering pink smoke.

"Now, then…" Mephisto sighed as he placed his hat on his head. "Shall we go, Okumura-kun—"

Mephisto instinctively flew aside as Rin charged at him, swinging his sword around like a maniac. Rin roared terribly as his sanity slipped away and his flames flared up without limit, slowly consuming both Rin's soul and mind and the trees around him.

Mephisto sighed. "My little brothers are such a bother…" Mephisto spoke with a grin.

* * *

Blue flames exploded in the woods, luckily the Exwires, Shura, and Yukio all made it out before the flames reached them. They stood near a building belonging to True Cross Academy. A tall, pillar-like tower stood out with a stone bridge extending towards the main building. The students climbed up the stairs to the bridge and overlooked the woods. Blue flames bellowed into the sky, lighting it up despite the sun had not risen yet. The distant alarming sound of firetrucks roared in the distance as well as ambulances and police.

"Alright, we should be safe now," Yukio said and Shima collapsed on the ground.

"Shima!" Konekomaru reached out to his fallen friend.

"I can't… breathe…" Shima wheezed, clutching his chest in agonising pain.

Yukio set Shiemi back on the ground when he noticed she was awake. "Shiemi-san, are you okay?" Yukio asked.

"Yes, thank you, Yuki-chan!" Shiemi smiled, but jolted when Yukio shot an angry glare behind her towards Shura.

Another boom could be heard in the forest.

"It's… the blue flames…!" Konekomaru shuddered.

"You… you sent me away knowing this would happen! What is the meaning of this, Shura-san?!"

Shura smiled calmly, "chillax, Four-Eyed Wimp."

"Don't you dare tell me—!" Yukio shouted, but stopped when another, unfamiliar voice spoke.

"Ah, so violent and blue. It reminds me of _that_ dreadful night…" The voice spoke.

The students looked up and saw a man standing on top of the tower, holding on the metal cross at the tip of it. He overlooked the blue flames devouring the forest in the distance. His long, blond hair swept elegantly in the cool, smoky wind. His uniform was an angelic white with his cape divided into two sections with the pattern of feathered wings.

"Who is that…?" Izumo spoke.

"Gee, look who's here…" Shura spat under her breath, displeased by the man's presence.

The man turned around to face the students, his confident dark blue eyes laid onto each student as he introduced himself. "Pleased to meet you, young Exwires. I am Arthur Auguste Angel, senior exorcist first class and loyal knight of the Vatican."

"He's the new Paladin," Shura added.

The students all looked shocked at the mere presence of such a high authority figure before their eyes.

"And I am also your _direct superior_, Shura," Arthur spoke valiantly with a prideful grin upon his chiselled face. His mood quickly turned sour as he looked at the flames before him. "What is the meaning of this?" Arthur demanded. "Weren't you supposed to investigate and report on Pheles' and Fujimoto's secret plot?"

"Yah, but I'm certain you've snuck in more of your spies, haven't you?" Shura said, picking her ear.

"That is true, but your orders were more important…" Arthur said. "If what you found was related to—"

Arthur was interrupted when a puff of pink smoke appeared before him and Mephisto emerged from it, landing on the bridge with Rin in his grip. Rin growled and roared frantically as he squirmed like a feral animal. The students and Shiemi stood back, startled by Rin's ferocious behaviour.

"_Guten morgen_, Angel! It's been too long! Congratulations on becoming Paladin," Mephisto spoke calmly despite Rin was squirming wildly in his grip, barking at his surroundings.

"... If what you found was deemed related to the Devil, you are ordered to exterminate it immediately," Arthur continued with a frown. "Shura, wouldn't you say this blue-flaming monster before you… has any relation to Satan?"

Shura only frowned in frustration as Yukio gasped. Mephisto managed to sheath Rin's sword and the flames diminished and disappeared from Rin. Rin sighed and passed out, rolling his head back. Drool trailed down the corner of his lip.

"I see you've shown your tail, Mephisto," Arthur noticed, though it turned out to be Rin's tail. "The _Grigori_ will be informed of your disloyalty. This incident is all the crucial evidence I need."

Mephisto tsked at Arthur with a playful smile. "Now, now, Angel, I haven't shown you my tail… yet. You're being a little rude to a gentleman such as I."

Mephisto ripped Rin's grip off his sword and smacked him on the cheek, provoking Rin to regain consciousness. "Wake up!" Mephisto said.

"Huh…?!" Rin looked around himself in deep confusion. "W-Where am I…?" Rin inquired.

Mephisto whispered in Rin ear. "You better prepare yourself. It's not everyday we get to witness a battle between two bearers of demon swords."

"Huh…?" Rin repeated in confusion.

Arthur brought the hilt of his sword to his chest as he whispered, "_Caliburn, lend me thy divine strength…_"

_Yaaay! Of course I will, Arthur!_ The sword spoke in a fan-girl manner.

Arthur disappeared out of thin air, shocking everyone (except Mephisto). Soon after, Rin gasped when Arthur's hand seized Rin's throat and he pointed his long, broad sword to his throat.

"By order of the supreme leaders of the Vatican—the _Grigori_— I shall eliminate the son of the Devil!" Arthur commanded.

Shura swung her sword at him but he disappeared before it could touch him.

"Holy shit!" Rin exclaimed.

Shura bit her thumb to draw blood. She smeared it over the green eyes of her purple sword, chanting, "_Kirigakure-style demon sword technique…serpentine zizag!_" The sword in her hand morphed into a blade with the appearance of a snake. The green eyes of the sword came alive and it hissed.

"_Snake fang!_" Shura yelled and swung her sword. A wave travelled across to Arthur but he dodged it and disappeared again. Shura panted and looked around herself, then gasped when he threw his sword over her and placed it at her throat while grabbing her hand. The other exorcists around the bridge pointed their guns at Shura.

"Shura, why are you protecting Satan's spawn?" Arthur spoke. "Surely you haven't gone over to Mephisto's side?"

"Not a damn chance in hell," Shura grit her teeth in rage.

"That reminds me. You made a promise with Fujimoto to train the son of Satan. That is unforgivable treason."

Rin and Shura looked at each other.

"Although you kept rejecting the idea, surely you didn't feel guilty… and fulfilled his dying wish, did you?" Angel whispered.

"Ya got it all wrong, ya bald-headed… bastard!" Shura protested. "Ya don't understand what I've been through, so back off!"

Angel threw his head back in laughter. "But I'm not bald? What an amusing, cheap jest you came up with!"

Angel's frown returned on his face as he added, "but your orders are absolute, Shura. You should follow them without question."

Angel stopped when his Bluetooth headset rang and he answered it. "_…sì?_" Angel spoke in fluent Italian. The voice continued to speak. Angel nodded and responded, "_capisco._"

Arthur pressed a button on his earpiece to end the call. "That was an order from the _Grigori_," Arthur said, pointing his wide, broad sword at Mephisto and Rin. "Mephisto Pheles is to undergo immediate interrogation. The son of Satan will serve as concrete evidence in his trial."

Arthur sighed and gestured the exorcists lined up along the bridge to lower their weapons. They stood still as they lowered their guns and hoisted them to their chest. No expression could be read on their faces, though deep down inside, a lot of the exorcists were terrified to be in the presence of the son of Satan.

"Well, that sounds like fun! I enjoy a good debate," Mephisto smiled and snapped his fingers. A puff of smoke enveloped him. Once it slowly faded away, Mephisto stood in new attire. He wore his custom-made, white exorcist uniform.

"Shura, you are a potential witness," Arthur said as he gestured towards Rin and two exorcists seized him by his arms, forcing them behind his back to prevent him from escaping.

"Ow, easy there!" Rin yelped in pain.

"Shut up, demon," An exorcist replied sharply, which forced Rin to remain silent out of hurt.

"Bourguignon, escort the exwires back to the academy," Arthur commanded an exorcist at the entrance to the main building across the other side of the bridge.

Yukio jumped in, "please let me take them. I'm their teacher."

"Very well," Bourguignon sighed. "Students, follow Okumura Yukio!"

Rin could see the students from the other side of the bridge. Suguro stood still and shocked despite it was time to move. He remained planted to the ground with an confused, angry frown on his face.

_Crap! I need to make sure the others are okay!_ Rin thought as he shouted, "Is... Is everyone alright?!"

Suguro gasped, the sound of Rin's voice felt like a punch in the face. Suguro's bangs covered his eyes as he grit his teeth and balled his fists. He eyed Rin with intense pain in his eyes as he shouted, "why... the hell... is _Satan's kid_ here at a school for _exorcists_?!"

Rin's mouth opened up in utter shock and hurt. He felt his heart drop a thousand storeys into despair and fear.

Suguro gasped and coughed up blood and spit from when Amaimon choked him. "B-Bon!" Konekomaru shouted in worry, while Yukio insisted Suguro to follow him. Yukio turned Suguro around towards the academy entrance, while Suguro took the chance to shoot a nasty, angry glare back at Rin.

"I'll explain everything later, but we must tend to your wounds..." Yukio said.

Rin's heart palpitated when he saw Shiemi was still standing. Her innocent, teary green eyes caused Rin's heart to ache.

"Shiemi... you're not hurt?" Rin asked with a nervous smile.

Rin's smiled died out when he saw her lips quiver and tears formed at the bottom of her eyes.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?" Rin inquired. "Suguro's overreacting! I'm basically just a regular guy!" Rin shouted with a goofy smile and laughed as if nothing was wrong, despite his tail was swinging in front of him. Rin grabbed his tail with an embarrassed look plastered on his face and he shoved his black tail behind him.

"I-I kinda suck at being persuasive, but I swear! I'm still the same person!" Rin laughed, despite he was sweating nervously.

Shiemi couldn't take it anymore and tears rolled down her soft cheeks. "Why... are you laughing..." Shiemi whimpered. "There's _nothing funny_ about this!"

"Shiemi... let's go..." Yukio said, as he grabbed her hand and led her away, as the exorcists grabbed hold of Rin and dragged him away too.

Arthur approached the door on the tower across the bridge, with his magic key ready in his hand. Arthur put the key in the lock and was about to twist when a gush of air interrupted him.

"Sir," an exorcist said beside him. Arthur looked at him in confusion and saw that his eyes were directed to something in front of him.

"What is it?" Arthur said as he turned around. His long, blond hair swooped to the side but then dropped when he stopped and stared.

Before the exwires could enter the door, they all saw confused, distraught faces and followed their stares.

Yukio turned around and saw _her_.

* * *

**A/N: So since I've been on hiatus for so long I managed to write another chapter to make up for it!**

**The next chapter is where the fun really begins. Stay tuned!**


	27. Chapter 26: Tears of an Angel

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (青の祓魔師（エクソシスト)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火—Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 26: Tears of an Angel**_

* * *

**Arthur approached the door on the tower across the bridge, with his magic key ready in his hand.** Rin was held between two exorcists. His hands bound behind his back. Arthur put the key in the lock and was about to twist when a gush of air interrupted him.

"Sir," an exorcist said beside him. Arthur looked at him in confusion and saw that his eyes were directed to something in front of him.

"What is it?" Arthur said as he turned around. His long, blond hair swooped to the side but then dropped when he stopped and stared.

Before the Exwires could enter the door, they all saw confused, distraught faces and followed their stares.

Yukio turned around and saw _her._

Amitiel's figure stood at the centre of the bridge, with both blades in her gloved hands. She stood there silently. Her dark, menacing stare sent shivers around the exorcists.

"Tanaka-san!" Shiemi shouted, her hands brought to her chest as she was worried about Amitiel's state.

"Where the hell did you go?!" Ryuji yelled.

"Hana...?" Rin said when he turned around and saw her. He noticed her dark, threatening gaze was entirely on him. She didn't waver or even blinked.

"Is that another one of your students, Okumura?" Arthur spoke, releasing the key from its lock and holding it in his hand.

Yukio stepped forward slowly and raised his hands out to her as if in an act of mercy. This was the moment he feared the most. "Tanaka-san, what you see—"

"I have seen everything," Amitiel interrupted sharply without turning around to face him.

"…Please listen," Yukio spoke sincerely. "I can explain…"

Amitiel looked down to the side with her eyes closed. Her blond hair laid limp in front if her face, shielding her cheeks. and eyes "No, it's time I finally take action after this whole time," Amitiel breathed.

"What?" Yukio was confused. His body was shaking uncontrollably he felt he was going to pass out.

Amitiel turned around to look Yukio in the eyes. "This is unfortunate, Okumura Yukio, but this must be done in order to save Assiah from the Devil named Satan," Amitiel looked straight ahead at the exorcists and Exwires.

"What?" Yukio gasped.

"I have been sent down with a very important mission in hand," Amitiel paused and placed her hand over her chest. "This young woman you knew as Tanaka Hana is only this body." Amitiel narrowed her eyes with a serious frown on her face. "My true name is _Archangel Amitiel_, the angel of truth and loyal servant of the _Creator_. My mission, is to search and eliminate the 9th son of Satan." Amitiel pointed her blade at Rin.

Everyone gasped.

"For fifteen years I have searched this human territory called Japan, and here I am at last, with the Son of Satan in my sights," Amitiel added.

Some of the exorcists gasped from utter shock, most were in so much shock that they only remained silent. The Exwires, especially Rin, all had wide eyes on their faces. Ryuji was trying to say something but the shock he had prevented him from even moving a single muscle.

Rin's eyes widened and he let out an almost terrified gasp.

_She's... An angel?!_

Everyone looked at each other nervously and frantically. Unable to do anything against such a powerful entity even if they tried with all of their—inferior—power.

"Ha." Angel broke the silent with a prideful grin, which startled everyone. "An angel—what an amusing joke that is. I have seen many demons in my life time claiming to be angels. You are foolish in even attempting to deceive me with such false statements." Arthur's prideful manner turned sour as he threatened her with a glare.

Amitiel remained calm as she added, "even the exorcists lack faith?"

"To claim yourself to be one of the Higher Powers is sinful," Arthur said and brandished his glorious sword's hilt. Rin looked at him in confusion, then horror when he drew his broad silver sword and pointed it at Amitiel. The Exwires and exorcists moved aside from Angel's path to Amitiel. Arthur raised his chin up in superiority, and with a powerful voice, shouted, "by the name of Arthur Auguste Angel, prepare to surrender by my sword. You will perish, demon!"

Arthur grabbed his sword with both hands and charged straight at Amitiel. Rin's heart palpitated so much he felt his whole body shake by the beats. He watched as the Paladin charged forward towards his friend.

Rin screamed for him to stop and began to run but the exorcists seized him and bound him with his hands behind his back.

"Hana! _Run_!" Rin yelled.

Rin gasped in horror. All Hana did was stand there, immobile. She didn't move her blades or even raised her gaze up. She only stood there with her thick, blond bangs shielding her eyes.

Yukio watched her in consternation and became even more suspicious. It seemed odd she would just stand there as the Paladin sprinted at her. But if she said she was an angel… will the Paladin even be of match against her?

Angel was just about to raise his sword up above her head when a white flash of light hit him so hard it actually sent him flying back. A shockwave spread out from a single point where Amitiel was standing. Arthur lost his balance and fell on his back and the exorcists and Exwires were thrown back. The exorcists around Arthur noticed his white uniform was tainted with ashes from his clothes burning from the intense heat. The only thing that remained unburnt was his body.

The exorcists and Exwires lost their breaths when large, ethereal pairs of wings had sprouted from Amitiel. Her fist was driven onto the ground, and she was down on one knee. Around her fist was a large crater that had formed when she pounded the ground. Her fist had glowing veins throughout and they spread up to her arm and slowly faded away as the veins went deeper into her body. The transparent feathers of her wings each shone like suns with light radiating out from the tips. Amitiel opened her eyes and there were glowing white specks in her pupils that were as bright as the light of the stars.

"Oh...my god…" an exorcist gasped.

"Caliburn, destroy this monster!" Arthur commanded his sword as he gripped it tight and stood back up.

_As you wish, Arthur!_ The sword responded happily with a squeal.

Arthur charged forward Amitiel one last time. This time Amitiel moved forward at such a high speed she zipped by Angel before he could reach her—or see her—and she appeared right before Rin.

Rin choked on his own spit and screamed when Amitiel drove her blade at him.

Arthur felt his legs tense up and he gripped his sword and suddenly loud gunshots were heard behind him as a bullet penetrated Amitiel's chest and another shot her in the head before Amitiel could even touch Rin.

Rin saw the shocked look on her face as Amitiel gasped.

As Amitiel fell to her knees, the look of despair was plastered all over her face, as if she was reaching out to Rin for help. Amitiel's body fell to the ground and it laid there. Blood pooled around her from her wounds. There was tense silence until Rin screamed in agony as tears streamed down his face. Shiemi felt light-headed as tears rolled down her cheeks. Suguro and Shima looked away while Konekomaru couldn't resist and threw up. Shura could only stay still with her mouth opened. Izumo just stood there in utter shock, as memories of the terror she witnessed returned in her head. She hoped she wouldn't see anymore of this… blood.

Arthur looked back and Yukio stood still, his gun still in hand with the barrel smoking. He was unfazed as he maintained a calm, relaxed composure.

"You bastards! killed her! You _murdered_ her!" Rin screamed, flickers of his blue flames licked parts of his body and clothes. His anger scorched as he choked back tears.

Rin and everyone gasped when they heard Amitiel cough. She opened her glowing eyes and stood up, brushing off the dirt on her shoulders and chest. She looked at her bloodied chest and reached into it. The sound of rib bones cracked as Amitiel dug in and pulled out Yukio's bullet. She gripped it inside her hand and she clenched while the bullet glowed inside her hand. Once she opened her hand, the bullet crumbled into ashes. Amitiel also dug into the bullet hole on her forehead and pulled out the bullet in her brain. The wound immediately closed up and she wiped the blood off her forehead.

"I told you, I am no demon." Amitiel said as she held up the bullet in her fingers. "Holy Silver bullets have no effect on angels, neither does any other weapon humans have invented."

Amitiel turned towards Rin again, her glowing pupils sent shivers down his neck and back. "Now then," She said, grasping her blades. The hilts got stained with her blood on her hands.

Yukio reloaded and repeatedly shot her in the back. She remained unfazed and unaffected as the bullets hit her but didn't kill her. Yukio stopped when she turned around and stared into his eyes. He felt his own body move as his hands opened up, releasing his guns and the guns unloaded by themselves as they fell to the ground. The mags fell on the ground as the bullets in them popped out and spilled all over the place.

"Do not oppose me, human. You have no business interfering with heavenly matters," Amitiel bellowed at Yukio, causing Yukio's hair on his arms and neck to stand on end.

Amitiel looked back at Rin.

Rin gasped, broke free from the exorcists' grip, and ripped the sword out of Mephisto's hand (he just shrugged his shoulders after that) and Rin clasped his hands on the sheath and hilt.

Angel changed courses by driving his boot into the concrete and pushed himself forward, towards Amitiel and Rin. Angel was on target and drove his sword straight at Amitiel but another blade appeared over his neck and stopped him. The exorcists pointed their guns at the intruder with angel as a hostage.

Arthur grit his teeth in anger and stopped reluctantly. He looked at the blade at his neck as it glimmered from the moon's twilight.

"Lower your weapon. We are not here to fight you, Arthur Auguste Angel," Raziel said from behind him, his blade was curved over Angel's neck.

Arthur spat. "You... Have you and your daughter been corrupted under the demons' influence?"

"First of all, she was never my daughter to begin with, and second, she is telling the truth. What you see before you is the Angel of Truth, and you must believe her."

"You_ traitor_! You've thrown yourself under their control!" Arthur shouted.

"It's quite ironic, technically, the traitor is actually you. Your sword is a demon indeed, and even one of the highest figures in your organisation is a demon—so in truth—you're the one who is corrupted by demons."

"You got a point there," Mephisto winked with a teasing smirk.

"If that thing is what you claim her to be, then identify yourself, Tanaka... if that is your name," Angel bellowed angrily.

"I am afraid you are right, I do not originate from this world, nor Gehenna. If you so desperately want myself to reveal my secret identity, you shall call me _Archangel Raziel,_ the angel of secrets."

Arthur saw Raziel's reflection on the blade at his throat, and in Raziel's eyes were the same glowing, white sparks in his pupils.

"You must understand—we are not here to hurt any of you," Raziel spoke as the exorcists tensed up nervously, their guns still pointed at Raziel and Amitiel. They gasped when some of their comrades turned against them, pointing their weapons at the exorcists. They had the same glowing pupils in their eyes.

"Since when were there so any of you?!" Arthur shouted as his eyes widened at the amount of angels that were present.

"We have slowly gathered our brothers and sisters for when the time has come. And that time is now," Raziel spoke calmly, releasing Arthur, then gestured his brothers and sisters to lower their weapons.

"Then what's your purpose for coming here then?" Arthur grit his teeth.

"It's for that." Raziel flicked his gaze to Rin.

"The Son of Satan?"

"Amitiel...you know what you must do," Raziel lowered his gaze. "_Do it_."

"Yes, Raziel," Amitiel spoke calmly as she took a step towards Rin.

"H-Hana...I can explain myself..." Rin pleaded desperately as he laid his sword on the ground, slowly.

"There is no need to explain, son of Satan. After all this time... It was _you_," Amitiel spoke as she continued to approach him with the intent to kill.

"Please..." Rin raised his hands up in surrender. "P-Please let me explain this... Don't make me fight you! We don't have to fight!"

"Why did you come here, hmm? Did you not take into consideration the high risk you have taken? Hiding within enemy territory? That's quite ludicrous, really." Amitiel was calm as a silent lake despite the tension.

"I had no choice... I..." Rin swallowed. "I had to enrol here, because I'm on the same side as you! I wanna fight against demons! I wanna defeat Satan!"

Amitiel knew he was telling the truth, but she ignored it all. He was the spawn of Satan, the only being in existence that can fool Amitiel's senses. She learned never to rely on her abilities to sense lies when it comes to anything related to Satan.

Because they always lie.

"There's The proof of Satan's influence pumping through your veins. I know what you are trying to do," Amitiel gripped her blades tightly. "Your temptations will not fool a soldier of the Creator. Even if you do beg for mercy, I will not give it. Now prepare yourself for your own death, son of Satan. The world would be safer without you."

"H-Hana! Please—stop this!" Rin screamed desperately.

Amitiel went into her fighting stance and spoke in Latin, "_In the name of the Creator and all that is created in Its holy name, grant me the power to assimilate the cursed Spawn of Satan._"

"Nii-san! You have to fight her!" Yukio shouted.

"I-I..." Rin stuttered, memories of all the times together with Hana replayed in his mind. He remembered every moment, to her illness, to their conversation about his inner angels, to the sacrifices they have endured. Through pain and suffering, Rin and Hana stood strong, inseparable and powerful. Rin snapped back into the harsh reality that is now as he whimpered, "I-I c-can't—"

Amitiel waved her hands up and a force picked Rin off the ground and threw him down on the earth below the bridge. Rin landed hard on his side with a pained howl and he quickly gained the strength to stand back up. He looked up and saw her standing on the rim of the bridge. Balancing her weight on one of the stone bulbs decorating the rim of the bridge. Amitiel's wings glowed behind her and she jumped off and plunged down at Rin.

Rin dodged aside just in time before Amitiel swooped down. She flew back up into the sky, her wings outstretched and beautiful then a thousand stars. Amitiel fell down and landed hard, breaking the earth around her. Amitiel chanted as she closed her eyes, bringing her two blades and touching each other, "_Veritas aequitas, simul faciant unum pacem. Laiad, veni fora et serviemus tibi caelestem judicem, Amitiel._"

_Truth and justice, together they make one master of peace. Laiad, come forth and serve thy heavenly judge, Amitiel._

Amitiel brought her blades together and a bright, white flash illuminated the area. Rin covered his eyes and reopened them when the light faded away and Amitiel stood with a long, curved, elegantly designed sword in her hands. The sword glowed an ethereal glow and the blade looked as if it was alive as light and sparks danced inside it.

"This sword of mine, may it purge you from your wretched soul, son of Satan!" Amitiel shouted and zipped at Rin.

He screamed when Amitiel swung her sword and cut Rin at the chest. Rin hit her in the head with the sheath of his sword and Amitiel grabbed it and pulled it away from him. The sword in Rin's hands slipped out of the sheath and the blue flames erupted from the blade and Rin. He felt his senses reach their peak and his ears elongated as his blue-flamed horns rested over above his forehead. His tail lit up in blue flames. Rin gasped when he saw himself covered in flames, and Amitiel's frown intensified as she roared and flew at him.

Rin continuously changed courses as Amitiel would appear right before him, forcing him to dodge and run. He couldn't stand a chance against her, nevertheless, he didn't want to fight her.

He didn't want to fight a friend.

Yukio watched the fight below and then Shiemi screamed when Amitiel jumped up and swung her sword down at him. Rin instinctively raised his sword up over his head and Amitiel and Rin's blades collided with each other, sparks flew all over the place as Amitiel pushed down, weighing Rin down with all her glorious might. Rin was struggling to push her out of the way, though he was glad his demonic strength made him stronger than usual.

"Hana! What the hell?! I thought we were friends! Comrades!" Rin screamed as the two pushed their swords against each other.

"You just tricked me, that's all. But it will not work on me this time," Amitiel growled, her glowing pupils showed endless hate when she stared into Rin's glowing blue irises and his slit blood-red pupils. "Your false, petty pleas will not stop me."

"Then what will?!" Rin shouted, gritting his sharp teeth.

"Your death." Amitiel said and she pushed Rin back. He screamed and drove his sword into the ground to stop him from skidding further away. Rin looked up and panicked when Amitiel was floating above him. She shot waves of light when she swung her sword, forcing Rin to dodge aside.

Meanwhile, on the bridge, Arthur, the exorcists, Raziel, and the Exwires all stood still, observing the battle between good and evil take place before their eyes.

"R-Rin...?" Shiemi gasped. "…Tanaka…san…?"

"What the hell is going on?! JUST WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" Suguro screamed in utter frustration as he smacked his fists on the rim of the bridge.

Everyone went silent when Rin screamed. Amitiel slashed at Rin, cutting his shoulder deep and he screamed in pain. Rin fell on the ground in agonising pain while Amitiel drove her foot in his stomach, sending him flying in the air. Amitiel zipped across the air and pounded Rin to the ground. Rin opened his eyes to find Amitiel hovering in mid air with her glowing wings beating.

Amitiel raised her sword up. "Cursed Son of Satan, you are hereby sentenced to death in the name of the Creator and the Holy Hosts of Heaven. Prepare to perish in the hands of the Archangel Amitiel."

"When... when did you get this strong?!" Rin shouted, spiting blood at the ground.

"I always have been. I only limited my use of my power until the situation is deemed appropriate to unleash it."

Amitiel dived down and raised her sword up as a finishing blow to end his life. As she came down Rin screamed desperately, causing her to stop and stand over him. Her long, shining sword was raised up over her head, but was not moving,

"STOP IT! Just...stop it..." Rin fell on his knees, throwing his sword away, out of his reach. Yukio gasped.

"What are you doing?" Amitiel spat, a frown grew on her face.

Amitiel gasped when she heard a laugh come out of Rin's mouth. It gradually got louder until it was hysterical.

"...What the hell am I doing?!" Rin laughed with pain in his azure blue eyes. "All this shit, it's all pointless. What's the point of my life anyways? I have nothing to live for..."

Amitiel was silent as Rin breathed, she saw tears stream down his cheeks as his eyes were covered by his sweaty dark blue bangs.

_Damn it…_ Rin thought. _I though I had a chance… to prove myself right. But…_

"_I'm… done with this…_" Rin whispered.

Rin could see Amitiel over his body.

_…Is it really worth living knowing you don't belong…?_

Rin breathed and spoke, "Just... Kill me now. If this will actually make the world a better place, if..." Rin looked at Yukio one last time. Yukio stood, scared and hurt. Rin could see the little baby brother he looked after his whole life. Rin looked at Shiemi, then Suguro, then Renzo, Konekomaru, Shura, and Izumo "… If they will be happier...then I'll be happy... So let me ask you something..."

Rin gradually lifted his head up. He grasped Amitiel's sword, despite his hand was sizzling from the holy, pure blade, and screamed, "If you wanna do it...THEN DO IT!"

Amitiel hesitated as her eyes widened.

"_KILL MEEEEEEE!_"

Amitiel breathed erratically and she grit her teeth. She grabbed his throat and threw him back at the ground. His back hit it and she raised her sword up with her hand as she held onto Rin.

As she drove her sword down at his chest, Rin closed his eyes. A sense of peace hit him.

_Yukio… you were right_. Rin thought. _I guess it would be better if I just died..._

Yukio screamed as tears began to roll down his cheeks, "NII-SAN!"

The exorcists saw as Amitiel drove the sword into Rin and the ground shook and masses of dirt and earth shot up from around Rin and Amitiel and fell back down.

Everything went silent as the sky above them thundered. Blackness engulfed everything around them. The wind blew and the trees—that were spared from Rin's destructive flames—rustled as their leaves shook. The wind caught the dust around Rin and Amitiel. No one heard a sound coming from them. Yukio's and everyone's heart was pounding, while Raziel and the other angels stood patiently, waiting.

After the dust cleared. The exorcists saw Rin on the ground, with Amitiel on top of him.

Rin opened one of his eyes and saw Amitiel on top of him. He followed her arm and saw her sword was driven right beside his face in the earth.

Rin looked back at Amitiel's face. It was covered by blond hair, but she was panting so hard, and she tried to hold something back from her eyes.

"H-Hana...? Aren't you... gonna kill me?" Rin whispered.

Rin stopped when the wind blew her hair away from her eyes. He saw her face and tears began to well up in his eyes. It was the first thing he had ever witnessed coming out of Amitiel.

She was crying.

"H-Hana...?" Rin stuttered, his lips quivered.

Rin reached out to her but she swatted his hand away and pushed herself off of him, skittering away. "Don't touch me!" Amitiel dropped her sword and it divided into her two, silver blades. The glow disappeared from them and they became dull silver blades compared to her sword.

Rin withdrew his hand and saw he was still engulfed in flames.

"Rin, Why... Why are you... WHY ARE YOU SATAN'S SON?!" Amitiel screamed through sobs. She threw her head forward and buried them in her hands. She grabbed her face and sobbed heavily. Her tears wet her hands and some plopped onto the ground, at the same time when rain fell down from the dark sky.

Rin felt tears run down his cheeks and he placed his hands on his face and he sobbed as well.

"Pardon me for this soggy show," Mephisto said and jumped off the bridge. He opened his umbrella and he gently floated down and landed delicately on his feet.

Mephisto picked up Rin's sheath and picked up Rin's flaming sword that was abandoned on the ground. He sheathed the sword and Rin's flames faded away, returning his ears to their normal length and his red pupils returned to their black, human colour.

Raziel appeared before Amitiel. Amitiel looked up at Raziel with tears in her swollen, red eyes.

"Alright, that is enough playtime. We might as well discuss this situation with the Grigori, do you agree, Raziel?" Mephisto suggested, pulling a dazed Rin up from the ground.

Raziel looked at Amitiel with a disappointed look in his eyes. "...As you wish..."

_You have failed, Amitiel._

Amitiel gasped and another fresh tear rolled down her cheek.

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**A/N: ANOTHER CHAPTER HOLYMOLYMACARONI**

**I've been on super ultra saiyan mode and high as hell on inspiration i managed to write 3 CHAPTERS IN 2 DAYS WTFFFFFFFFFF**

**THIS IS IT. GUYS, THIS IS IT. THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR. *SCREECHES***


	28. Chapter 27: Aftermath

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (青の祓魔師（エクソシスト)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

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_**天使の火—Angel Fire**_

_**Chapter 27: Aftermath**_

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**Rin was in so much pain.** He had cuts and bruises all over his body from his fight with Amitiel, and the white shirt he wore exhibited a large, clean gash from where Amitiel cut him on the chest. It ached to the point he would clutch it and wince. He was scared that his wound was not closing up quickly as usual. Apparently, angelic weapons like Amitiel and Raziel's prevent demons from healing quickly.

He was scared of them.

The Exwires were led back into the main building, despite Shiemi was pleading to Yukio and the exorcists to treat Rin and Amitiel's injuries. She was always the kind of being who cared about others safety before her own.

Rin was bound by the hands and two exorcists held them behind Rin's back, just high enough for Rin to feel discomfort. Another exorcist pulled out cuffs and clicked them around Rin's wrists. Rin winced when he felt his skin around the cuffs sting.

"These are blessed with holy silver. If you ever try to move suddenly to escape, you're in for a nasty burn," the exorcist growled.

Rin grit his teeth as he frowned derisively at the exorcist. His sharp blue eyes forced the exorcist to turn away uncomfortably.

Arthur Auguste Angel led everyone back to the tower extending from the main building. He pulled out the key connecting to the Vatican's opera court house. The key looked very intrinsic and ancient. This time the Vatican's logo was etched in the design instead of the Knights of the True Cross.

The exorcists beside Arthur's sides latched onto the door handles and pulled the doors open. A bright light flashed from inside and Rin was urged forward with a push. Amitiel and Raziel, followed by Shura and Mephisto, followed the exorcists and Paladin through.

A warm breeze brushed through Rin's blue strands and he found himself in the middle of an elegantly designed courthouse. There were fancy, gold-rimmed drapes hanging from the entrance and balconies encircling the room. Sitting by the many storeys of balconies stood the viewers. Their faces were shadowed by the curtains as they whispered at each other, observing Rin with a suspicious glare. The room itself looked as if it were made of gold. Hanging from the towering ceiling was a glass, crystal chandelier illuminating a soft, golden glow. Presented below the hanging chandelier was the Grigori. There were three individuals sitting patiently in golden, wooden thrones etched with fine details. Around the pillars standing on the walls of the court were marble statues of angels. Amitiel and Raziel recognised the Archangel Michael on the right of the Grigori's balcony and the Archangel Gabriel on the left side, while other archangels encircled the court, valiantly holding symbolic objects such as a scroll, sword, or bow.

Rin watched as everybody around him stared him down like a pack of hawks, as if he had intruded into their territory.

Meanwhile, Mephisto only waved and smiled as if he were entering a competition.

"Kneel," Arthur commanded.

"Huh?"

"Now!" Arthur kicked Rin in the back and he fell on his hands. A part of Amitiel died inside, though she quickly ignored it.

"Do me a favour and behave yourself." Arthur grabbed his sword and drove it through Rin's ankle. As soon as it did, Rin howled in pain as blue flames skimmed his clothes but suddenly disappeared. His scream made Amitiel's hands cringe and her ears hurt. She closed her eyes and looked away.

"What the hell are you doing, Arthur!?" Shura snapped.

"This is absolutely necessary. I do not want to take the chance of him burning our court down," Arthur spoke without a sign of mercy in his eyes.

"You're a saint with a demon's soul, Arthur..."

Everyone went silent when the judge whacked his gavel against the sound block. "Order! I demand the accused to take the stand!" The judge commanded forcefully in Italian. The translator beside him converted his words into Japanese for Rin and Shura to understand.

"Oh, I guess that would be me," Mephisto smiled as if he were innocent.

"The court will now hear the case of Mephisto Pheles, Honorary Knight of the Japan Branch of the Knights of the True Cross," the judge ordered as the translator spoke in Japanese. "Stand up at the pedestal."

When Mephisto finished climbing the short set of stairs to the stand, he brought his hand and held it to his right breast.

"Do you solemnly swear or affirm that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" The judge asked.

"I solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm that I will tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth," Mephisto gave the judge a smug-look.

"The interrogators participating will be I, Timothé Timowan, chief justice of the order's court of law, and Sir Arthur Auguste Angel, the current Paladin. The opposition shall be Sir Hiroshi Tanaka and his daughter Hana Tanaka. Finally, the Grigori will adjudicate!" The judge announced and everyone shuffled comfortably in their seats. Arthur, Shura, Raziel, and Amitiel stood on their feet and Rin was panting on all fours on the floor.

The judge turned the screen in front of him towards Mephisto. An image displayed of Rin engulfed in blue flames was taken by a hitchhiker. "Sources from witnesses have shown of the recent events that have been occurring on the academy grounds. Sir Pheles, examine this picture shown before me and answer me this: this child in this photograph, is the demon kneeling before us, correct?"

Mephisto didn't hesitate, "Yes."

"Then let me say this plainly," the judge frowned. "Is that thing the son of Satan?"

"Yes, he is. I will not keep it secret any longer."

The crowd roared.

Rin looked up around him at how much his mere presence caused an uproar among the viewers. Rin felt disappointed at how these people are terrified and surprised of him just because of who he is.

"Fifteen years ago, Fujimoto reported that he had successfully terminated the offspring of Junior Second Class Yuri Egin, who has been plead guilty of carrying Satan's spawn," the judge spoke as he observed the reports before him that were written by Fujimoto. "Do you mean to declare that the reports are in fact false?"

"Yes, however, she gave birth to fraternal twins," Mephisto spoke with his hands clasped behind his back. "One of them did not inherit Satan's power, however. The one who did is who kneels before you."

Mephisto pointed at Rin on the ground.

"Twins..." Raziel whispered. "That means…"

"… Yukio Okumura is also a child of Satan?" Amitiel asked herself. He… doesn't even look or behave as one.

Mephisto continued as the crowd around him murmured. "He may have become a full-fledged demon have I not sealed his power within Kurikara. The previous Paladin, Shiro Fujimoto, raised him in secrecy until the day he was capable of assuming his fate."

The end of Mephisto's answer piqued everyone's interest.

"And what "fate" do you imply, Mephistopheles? What purpose does he serve?" The judge demanded.

Mephisto lowered his head with a mischievous smirk spread across his face. "To raise him as a living weapon against Satan and Hell."

The crowd went havoc. Some viewers shouted in indignation and demanded Mephisto to be exorcised on the spot.

Mephisto shrugged his shoulders at the answers he was receiving. "Don't be upset with me, it was Shiro Fujimoto's idea."

_The old man… did he really say that…?_ Rin looked up at Mephisto in bewilderment.

Amitiel observed Mephisto with shock exploded all over her face and she took a step back, disturbed at the truth in his words.

"I fully object this preposterous declaration."

The crowd slowly grew silent and their attention was on Raziel.

"Hear me out, need I remind you that Mephisto Pheles is also a demon? Why would a demon conspire against his own… by using his own?" Raziel barked.

Mephisto's smile faded and he turned his head over his shoulder. There was annoyance in his steely green eyes.

"I have been within this organisation far longer than any exorcist alive in this world. I am well-informed about demons' nature for many centuries. Do you possibly believe in the words of a liar and a master of deception?" Raziel spoke, which raised uneasy questions within the viewers.

"Who are you?" The judge demanded.

"I am a loyal soldier of Heaven," Raziel admitted, which provoked the crowd to scream. Some shouted demon and others yelled impostor.

"_Silence_!" The judge shouted as he rapidly whacked his gavel on the desk.

"I do not object that..." Arthur spoke suddenly, his eyes wide in shock. "I have seen their identities with my own eyes. Tanaka and his daughter are... _angels_. They are _really_ angels."

The Grigori exchanged stunned gazes with each other. Although their faces were covered by their majestic drapes, they could tell by the way each swallowed erratically that they trembled with uneasiness.

The crowd looked around frantically. Some even began praying, some for protection and some for forgiveness.

One of the members of the Grigori, who was in the middle and draped in elegant sapphire and azure robes which covered their body and head, suddenly bolted up and exclaimed with a powerful male voice, "Identify yourselves!"

"My name is archangel Raziel, the angel of secrets, and this is archangel Amitiel, the angel of Truth. We have made our appearance to inform you of our true intentions. We are here to search and eliminate Satan's 9th son—the one right there," Raziel pointed at Rin before Arthur, then gestured to Amitiel beside him. "Amitiel here, is sent specifically to carry on this task of executing the child of Satan, the first to have inherited Satan's power. All these centuries, Humanity has been terrorized by demons, and not even exorcism is sufficient enough to protect yourselves. We have decided to make an appearance solely to defend you humans from being obliterated by the demons. The extinction of humankind is possible as long as this child lives on."

Raziel looked at Rin with a grim stare. "All I ask is for you to put all your trust in the beings that have watched over you...and kill the bastard."

The crowd murmured suddenly. Rin's heart dropped to his stomach and he began to feel nauseous.

"I think that is quite cowardly, don't you think?"

Everyone laid their eyes back on Mephisto, who chuckled under his breath with a steely grin.

"To destroy something extremely powerful in fear of being surpassed is human nature. But..." Mephisto paused. "To destroy something out of fear will not stop the war between humans and demons!"

"What are you saying, Pheles?" One of the members of the Grigori spoke. He sounded like an elderly man, who was revealed to be Melchior.

"Simple," Mephisto smiled calmly. "I say let him live."

The crowd roared again.

"_Why_..." Arthur growled, "…Would we ever allow _that_?"

"Because he is our chance to destroy Gehenna itself," Mephisto clapped his hands together as eagerness coursed through his body. "Think about it, my dear comrades! Isn't it a genius idea to use an enemy to destroy the enemy? Imagine how many discoveries you could uncover and the amount of knowledge you would attain by studying the demon that is to become your weapon?"

The Grigori fell silent as the viewers only discussed with each other privately.

"And what if your weapon becomes a failure?" Raziel spoke out. "If you foolishly believe you could possibly control a power more powerful and ancient then all demons exorcised throughout history—then you will be the cause of Assiah's demise. You have seen what this demon's power has done. In a matter of minutes, all of the academy's forest district was burned to the ground. At this very hour, exorcists are still struggling in controlling the fire. The Knights of the True Cross has made a promise to humanity to protect them from demons and other evil creatures. If you do allow this demon to live, you have hereby betrayed humanity and all that is pure and good."

The viewers shuffled in their seats.

"Do you want to repeat the _Blue Night_?" Raziel spoke, which piqued the viewers' interests in a way a sword stabbed through their hearts. Raziel could see the hurt and anguish in the witnesses' eyes as personal memories of the Blue Night repeated in their heads. "Is that the amount of blood you want on your hands? If you spare him…" Raziel lowered his gaze and voice. "…the Holy Hosts of Heaven will bring their wrath down upon you."

Some people within the crowd panicked at the thought of betraying their own accords. Angels were always looked up in history as allies.

"Did I forget to mention demons were once angels? I'm sure you know that Satan was an angel as well. Viewing demons such as Okumura-kun and I to be evil is quite hypocritical of you, don't you think?"

"Do not play me as a fool, Samael," Raziel growled.

"Oh, did I hit a sore spot?" Mephisto touched his bottom lip. "Does it bother you so much that humans trust me more than you petty angels?"

The demon shrugged off Raziel's glare and turned around to face the crowd around him. He raised his arms out wide as he shouted powerfully, "Ladies and gentlemen, make a wager with me! Will this child of Satan become the feared Demon Lord of Gehenna? Or will he be—nay, dare I say—the _saviour _of Assiah?!" There was a maniacal grin on Mephisto's lips.

The crowd had become uneasy, yet some were actually finding Mephisto's point credible, perhaps out of fear and desperation.

"Of course," Mephisto raised his index up. "…on one condition. Unfortunately, we will have to be patient and see. Only time can tell."

Arthur had to step in. "This is preposterous!" He shouted, angry and confused. "Let me remind you what he is! His _kind_ excels at trickery!"

"I see… humanity is beyond saving..." Raziel looked down with a sense of disappointment.

"He conspired with Shiro Fujimoto in secret…to raise Satan's _son_!" Arthur continued to yell. "To the Order, that is treason punishable by _death_!"

While all the members argued with each other, Rin, on the other hand, could only ignore all the sounds flooding around him as he thought to himself.

_Damn it…_ Rin looked down at the floor. He could make out his bloodied face in the reflection. He could see his exhausted blue eyes, which had dark bags under them. _I… drew the sword too soon, Yukio…_

"He was plotting to overthrow the Order from within, and waiting for his chance to strike!" Arthur shouted, though Rin began to ignore everything around him.

_You've warned me so many times…and I never listened._

_Damn it…_

Rin closed his eyes and the image of Suguro's last words before he left kept haunting Rin's head.

_Why…the hell… is Satan's kid here at a school for exorcists?!_

_There's nothing funny about this!_

_Rin…why…why are you… WHY ARE YOU SATAN'S SON?!_

_Damn it!_ Rin clenched his teeth and fists as anger suddenly flared within him. Anger towards himself at how much of a reckless idiot he had been. If only he listened to Yukio, he wouldn't have relied on Satan's flames to much.

And he wouldn't have put his friends in danger.

Arthur continued on babbling about Mephisto's questionable loyalty and demanded he be exorcised. His shouts provoked Rin to slam his fists at the floor and exclaim, "_SHUT UP!_"

Everyone was cut silent as Rin continued to speak, "I'm sick of all this damn bullshit! Stop talking shit about me!"

Blue flames began to flicker around Rin's body, until it erupted as he stood on his knees. "I'm not a damn weapon, demon lord, or frickin' saviour! I'm _RIN OKUMURA!_"

The crowd panicked and some people were screaming in horror. Amitiel drew her blades out of their sheaths as she stepped forward towards Rin, but stopped.

Rin's anger flared like a volcano as he pointed his finger at the Grigori and yelled, "and guess what, people?! I'm gonna become the best damn exorcist you'll ever lay your eyes on! Every single damn one of ya remember that!"

Angel brought his long, broad sword to Rin's neck. "The strongest exorcist? You want to become _Paladin_? You, the cursed son of Satan?"

"Do all Paladins dress like you?" Rin suddenly changed the topic.

"What?"

"Well, when I become Paladin, I won't be dressing like a fashion _reject_." Rin grinned sinisterly.

"You misunderstand, I had this outfit tailor-made." Arthur grinned with a frown.

"That's enough! Stand down, Angel!" The Grigori demanded, and Arthur reluctantly moved his sword away from Rin's throat.

"It pains me to do this, but I have received orders to show you the truth, with your own eyes," Raziel breathed out and he suddenly appeared in front of the Grigori. They all stood out of their thrones and backed away from danger. Surrounding exorcists pointed their guns at Raziel, threatening him by cocking their guns. Arthur shouted for his men and women to stand down. Raziel's eyes glowed as he reached out to Samyaza, the male member clothed in blue robes, and touched the man's forehead with his index finger. Samyaza's eyes saw visions of the universe before him. He could see galaxies, stars, nebulas, and cosmic dust surround him in an endless circle. He felt a rush of wind as the space around him zoomed in and the Earth stood still, gently spinning as the clouds enveloping the atmosphere drifted across the surface. The visions zoned in on Japan, and soon after zooming in to Tokyo. Samyaza noticed the land looked dark, almost black, except for blue lights flickering on the surface. He noticed that the entire earth looked dark under the clouds as blue lights infested the ground. As the images honed in, he realized the blue lights were not from buildings in cities.

It was blue flames.

The city of Tokyo looked nothing like he knew. Instead of its lively and thriving civilization, the buildings had collapsed and debris was scattered everywhere. No life remained as smoke bellowed into the sky from patches of blue flames engulfing the debris. There was darkness everywhere, including the sky, which no longer had the sun or any traces of light piercing through the thick, smoky clouds.

The Grigori members standing beside Samyaza noticed his breathing quickened as he panicked at the horrifying sighting he was seeing.

"What you witness are my memories of future events to come. This is what will arise if you do not oblige by our orders." Raziel frowned as the visions he and Samyaza were sharing moved quickly through the city. Bodies of innocent civilians burned by the hungry blue flames and some had been slaughtered by demons. Blood stained the streets of the city as demons ravaged through them, killing any sign of life in their reach.

"Please, I beg of you… this is enough!" Samyaza pleaded. Raziel ignored and closed his eyes, as the vision warped and zoomed in to the top of True Cross Academy, or what used to be the academy. Like the city, it was nearly destroyed. At the top were blue flames surrounding and engulfing a figure. It merely stood there after it slit the throat of an exorcist that dared to challenge it. The blue-flamed figure stood on a hill of bodies with a sadistic smile plastered on its face.

Samyaza gasped when the figure turned its head towards him, as if it saw him. He realized it was Rin Okumura, the demon that was on trial at this moment. However, instead of his innocent azure eyes, they were icy with a burning touch of insanity. He formed a maniacal grin and rolled his head back and laughed hysterically among the burning corpses and blue flames dancing around him. Samyaza felt tears stream down his cheeks as the laughs echoed throughout his consciousness, reminding him of the tyrannical cackling of the ruler of the underworld, Satan.

It was _Hell_ on Earth.

Samyaza pleaded desperately as tears flowed down his cheeks, Raziel opened his eyes and withdrew his finger from the man's forehead. Samyaza threw his head forward and panted after the visions disappeared. He looked around himself and burst into fresh tears as he prayed for peace and forgivness. Casper and Melchior, the other members, rushed to his aid. They noticed he was shivering uncontrollably, spurting broken sentences describing what he had witnessed. They were horrified at what he was describing.

"This is only the truth, and although it is horrifying, it is the consequences if you do not eliminate the son of Satan immediately," Raziel spoke and Samyaza reached out to Raziel and grabbed at his unbuttoned cassock.

"Please, have mercy on us!" Samyaza pleaded in tears.

Casper and Melchior looked back past Mephisto to Rin, who was still on his knees. There was a shocked look in his wet blue eyes. He soon felt every part of him die when the Grigori finally made their decision.

"The Grigori have evaluated the outcome, and we have drawn a concrete conclusion regarding the fate of the son of Satan," Melchior, the elder Grigori member, spoke as he calmly returned to his thrown.

"Due to the visions of the Archangel Raziel bestowed upon Samyaza, it is evident that future events have shifted into chaos and destruction if Satan's child lives on," Casper said.

Samyaza regained his sanity and added in a shaky manner, "in order to protect humanity and Assiah from Armageddon—we—the Grigori—have agreed to sentence the son of Satan to death—_immediately_."

The judge wacked his gavel, signalling the end of the session, and thus the sentence had been sealed.

The crowd roared and cheers sounded. Mephisto watched around him with a blank stare on his face, yet was not disappointed, while Arthur smiled, pleased by the outcome. Shura remained stone-still, shocked and traumatised by the sentence. Raziel wore nothing but a bland gaze.

Amitiel stayed silent, without looking back at Rin. She felt her hands clench and a sense of determination grew inside her as she knew the mission had succeeded.

But deep down inside, she felt a part of her die as well.

Rin, on the other hand, could only see darkness engulf around him as a cold chill slowly devoured him. He couldn't hear the crowd cheer at his death; he couldn't hear nothing, even his own heartbeat, just the dead silence. Rin hadn't noticed beforehand when tears welled up in his eyes and streamed down onto the glass floor.

It felt like he had died already.

One of the members of the Grigori signalled Arthur Auguste Angel to eliminate Rin on the spot. He raised his sword up and prepared to behead Rin when Shura suddenly stepped it and punched Arthur in the face. Rin and the crowd gasped as Arthur hit the floor and skidded across. His sword flew out of his grip and slid away from his reach.

"You bastards… all of you…" Shura growled as her flaming red and yellow bangs shielding her fury in her purple eyes.

"Ya call this shit _justice_?!" Shura shouted. "Yer all gonna decide on this kid's death without listening to his and my own testimony?! Ridiculous!"

The crowd gasped.

"Why won't you give him a chance to prove himself!?" Shura yelled. "Yer seriously going to believe some random prick claiming to be Raziel and all the visions he showed you? What if those visions aren't real?! He could be making that stuff up just so Rin would look like the villain he isn't!"

The crowd was silent. Arthur picked up his sword and was about to attack when Melchior signalled him to hold his position.

Shura grit her teeth in anger and determination. She knew she was the only one here that can support Rin's innocence. If those visions Samyaza witnessed were real, then convincing them of sparing Rin will be nearly impossible.

"I'm not the best negotiator... but I am a human being, and so is Rin Okumura!" Shura shouted as she gestured to Rin on the floor. "Mephisto confronted him after his awakening and offered him the choice to die or be killed, and guess what people? This jackass said he wants to be an exorcist! Why the hell would a demon want to become an exorcist?! He has the same goal the Knights of the True Cross have—he wants to help people! Rin may be a demon, but he's human too! He's one of us!"

Shura breathed and continued, "If ya really believe killin' him will solve everything, yer doin' exactly what Satan wants ya to do! You'll be looked down as murderers an' disgraces."

Shura grit her teeth and drew her sword from the seal on her chest. She pointed it at Angel and yelled, "If yer gonna kill him, then you'll have to kill me to get to him!"

Angel frowned and refused to raise his sword. "I will not cross swords with a comrade."

"Rin Okumura is also our comrade." Shura spoke, this time calm and collected. "I was once raised by demons and acted like a demon myself, yet you spared me because you knew I had potential to help others."

Shura looked at Rin, whose eyes had dried up. There was hurt and anguish in his eyes, but also the desperate need for Shura to convince the Knights of the True Cross to spare his life.

Shura smiled at Rin, with confidence in her eyes, "I believe Rin Okumura has the potential to be good."

The crowd murmured suddenly, while the Grigori exchanged uneasy glances with each other.

"We all have the potential to be evil, but that doesn't mean we don't have the potential to be good," Shura said.

After that Amitiel gasped and tears formed in her eyes. Rin also recognized those words and memories of his and Amitiel's times understanding each other filled his head and drove him to tears again. It was exactly what she had said to Rin during his identity crisis. But why… why does Amitiel feel so much guilt despite everything she was taught to believe about demons?

Amitiel looked back and Rin and the two met once again in each other's eyes. Rin saw the glowing dots in Amitiel's eyes, but he could also see extreme hurt and guilt—something he never saw coming from Hana Tanaka. Rin looked away with a frown and closed his eyes to erase her face from his vision.

"Please let Rin Okumura prove us that he can be a good person. If, by any means, he fails to satisfy us—" Shura turned towards Amitiel with a stern look on her face. "—Then Amitiel has our permission to kill him."

Rin gasped at Shura's risky terms. Mephisto felt the corners of his lips twitch up. It was unexpected of Shura to gamble with people's lives. She knew her life itself was a gamble about choices and destiny. Is this wager of hers some way to prove herself that even she can change into a better person?

The Grigori looked at each other more calmly. They discussed in private with the judge about Rin's fate. After many hours of debating, they finally came to a new, revised conclusion.

"Demons are indeed our enemy..." Melchior spoke. "However, learning from the enemy has always been the Order's top strategy."

Samyaza added, "nonetheless, this is an unprecedented situation. Sir Pheles shall remain under charges for treason."

"However," Casper spoke. "Due to his 200 years of service, we owe him a measure of trust."

"The Grigori have come to an understanding from Shura Kirigakure's testimony—and will let the son of Satan live."

The crowd roared chaotically. Shura breathed out and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She withdrew her sword into the seal on her chest. Rin sighed and let his whole body relax. It felt as if a huge weight the size of the world lifted off Rin's shoulders. He let out a small chuckle at how close he was to losing his life.

"We shall have all the members vote whether or not we should accept Sir Pheles' wager. If the majority is in favour, then one condition stands. Rin Okumura must pass the exorcist certification exam in six months' time."

"We will also take Archangel Raziel's precaution in consideration and have the son of Satan continuously monitored by the Archangel Amitiel. Should he be a threat, Amitiel has the authority to eliminate him by Shura's orders," the female Grigori member added.

The judge wacked his gavel and announced, "case closed! Dismissed!"

* * *

The courtroom was slowly emptied as the viewers filed out of the balconies. Exorcists led the Grigori away while Arthur and his team escorted Mephisto, Shura, and Rin, along with Amitiel and Raziel, towards the door thy came in from. Arthur used one of his magic keys and placed it in the lock. He twisted it and opened the door. They walked out and Rin noticed he was back on the balcony outside the academy. It was raining and puddles of water formed on the concrete floor. There was a cold, depressing breeze and the scent of humidity was strong in the air.

Once Arthur and the exorcists left, it was only Mephisto, Shura, Raziel and Amitiel.

Rin looked at Amitiel but she looked away and disappeared in front of him. He heard the gentle flap of wings and a breeze brush through him.

"We have some matters to discuss," Raziel spoke.

"You're not gonna kill me?" Rin looked down at the ground, too afraid to look Raziel in his glowing eye.

"No." Raziel crossed his arms.

"Is Hana—" Rin shook his head. "—Is Amitiel gonna be okay?"

"She is incapable of fulfilling her mission…" Raziel laid his stern green eyes on Rin, "because of you."

"Why?" Rin asked, even though he knew the answer.

"Because she has grown fond of you. You, the one identified as Rin Okumura, has become her weakness. The moment you two met, your relationship grew and Amitiel's purpose has weakened, and she began to stray from it. Her purpose was to eliminate you, not befriend you," Raziel spoke, which only made Rin feel guiltier.

Rin could only stay silent as he continued to look down. His blue bangs stuck to his forehead as the rain soaked him.

Raziel continued by adding something else, "the kurikara has sealed your demon heart. It suppressed your flames, not only that, but it also suppressed your demonic aura, that is the reason why she had trouble finding you."

Rin was able to look up in slight shock.

Raziel frowned derisively at Rin. "Luck has favored you, son of Satan, without that piece of metal, you should have been dead a long time ago."

Raziel briskly walked past Rin, brushing his shoulder against Rin's.

"You should be thankful for being alive," Raziel spoke without turning back. He disappeared soon after, leaving another damp breeze behind.

"There were other conditions about his sentence, but I must say they are being quite generous." Mephisto smiled and raised his umbrella above Shura's head to protect her from the rain. He was still a gentleman, after all.

"Whatever, but what can you do?" Shura spat.

"Look," Mephisto added.

Shura noticed Rin was on his knees again. "Please, Shura… teach me how to use a demon sword!" He pleaded by throwing his head on the ground in a sincere bow. "Just for six months! Please!"

Shura looked at him, unsure of what to say. "…well, your attitude does seem to have improved." Shura said as Rin cried silently.

"Fine, I'll take you in as my pupil."

* * *

Amitiel had returned to her dorm. She didn't bother checking in with the students. She just wanted to get away from everything. Anyone.

She looked at her bed and dropped onto it. She brought her legs together as she sat on it, her feet dangled and skimmed the cold, wooden floor. She changed into a light white t-shirt and grey pants, and threw her bloodied uniform in the garbage. It was tainted with Satan's blood anyways, and the smell only made her gag in disgust.

Amitiel heard the sound of rain drumming against the glass window at her desk. She could see the sky was black and the city lights illuminated in the distance. Amitiel's room remained unlit and cold, just as much as her body was feeling at the moment. She looked at her desk and saw her two blades sitting on the surface. She picked one up and observed her reflection in the blade. It shone from the outside lights. Amitiel could see her distraught brown eyes and suddenly she felt herself drop the blade and it landed on the ground, clanging loudly until it laid there, immobile.

Amitiel threw her head in her arms and whimpered in the dark silence.

She gasped when she felt Raziel's presence and looked up to find him standing before her.

Amitiel looked at him and saw how blank his face looked. They didn't speak for a while before Amitiel frowned and looked away from him. She stood up and clenched her fists as she observed through the window.

"You... You knew this whole time, didn't you?" Amitiel spoke. "That he was the one?"

The was silence that followed. Amitiel heard Raziel sigh and replied, "Yes."

Amitiel turned around, her blond curls whipped aside. "Why didn't you tell me? After he visited me when I was sick?"

"Because he didn't attack."

Amitiel gasped. She knew he was telling the truth, so why is she trying so hard to convince herself that he was lying? Amitiel didn't know what to say. If Raziel knew this whole time, why couldn't he just tell her already?

"Why didn't you tell me anything?" Amitiel repeated, more forcefully.

"Because this is your mission. I can only guide, but not interfere," Raziel spoke calmly.

"But the world depends on us! Were you just waiting for him to attack?!" Amitiel shouted. "All this time you never helped me or anything!"

Raziel uncrossed his arms and looked at her. This time, she knew he was ging to explain everything that has happened up to this point. You are wrong, Amitiel" Raziel spoke. "I have aided you more times than you have thought, but you have become too blind to notice it. I knew the demon back in Shiba, and I knew he had a link between True Cross Academy and the Son of Satan. I told you to collect information from him, so that it would lead you to here. I placed you in the male dormitory because your target was in that same building, so you did not have to search so long."

Raziel's words shocked her to the point she fell back onto her bed, silent and out of reach.

"I knew Rin Okumura was it," Raziel continued as he closed his eyes. "I have always known ever since we laid foot in the academy for the first time. I sensed him, you did not. His power slept within the scabbard of Kurikara, and only powerful archangels such as I can sense through the sword's own essence. Despite my efforts to help you, you were too distracted by them. I noticed changes in you. You seem more... Merciful. I never have expected you to even befriend those humans, yet you did. What have you been doing this whole time, Amitiel? You could not have possibly strayed away from your mission, have you?"

Amitiel had trouble forming words. She could only mutter in confusion. "I-I don't know what I was doing. Rin—" Amitiel cut herself off. "I mean, the Son of Satan must have tempted me somehow." Amitiel looked down at her hands and whispered, "I didn't even feel tempted."

"Because that is Satan's greatest power," Raziel added. "Amitiel, you have been played in the hands of Devil, and now... You are deceived."

Raziel didn't say anything else before he left Amitiel all alone in the dorm.

Amitiel looked around herself for his presence but could only hold back her tears for so long. She threw her head into her pillows and sobbed.

"R-Rin..."

* * *

**A/N: I'm back, with another chapter! Thank you so much for all your support, I seriously appreciate it! I think there's only one more chapter left, so I'll get it up as soon as I can**!


	29. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: Blue Exorcist (****青の祓魔師（エクソシスト****)) belongs to Kazue Kato. This is created for entertainment purposes only, no profit was made. Please support the author by purchasing her books!**

* * *

_**天使の火**__**—**__**Angel Fire**_

_**Epilogue**_

* * *

_"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."_

**— **Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

* * *

**Yukio slowly woke up and rubbed his eyes.** He threw part of his covers off his chest and looked at the digital clock on his bedside. He rubbed an eye again and squinted to focus on the red numbers. He groaned and picked up his glasses beside the clock and slowly got up. He stretched and extended his arms while releasing a long yawn, before he stood up and walked over to the door and gently opened it in hopes of not waking Rin up.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Rin's eyes opened wide awake. He tossed the covers off him and scratched his chest from under his black shirt. His tail unfurled and drooped to the ground. He got up and immediately fetched his school uniform from the closet. He slipped into it and tied his silky tie around his neck. He passed by the mirror and observed himself. He touched his hair and combed down all the messy strands. He groomed it so that his bangs were not plastered all over his eyes. He looked at the reflection one more time and grumbled in dissatisfaction. He tried again to fix his hair but gave up after many attempts and stuck to just moving his bangs to the side.

It's not like it matters anymore, anyways.

Rin picked up his school bag, shoved his books in it, and made his way to the door without making a sound. He peeked his head out into the hall and confirmed Yukio wasn't present. Rin, with a determined look in his tired blue eyes, took the chance to sneak out of Yukio's guard and made his way to class, much earlier than needed.

Rin stuffed his tail up his shirt and managed to curl it around his torso. He felt uncomfortable as it felt very constricting to hide, and since his identity was discovered he wondered what was the point of hiding it. Rin saw the regular students walking towards their classes, although Rin's doesn't start in an hour, he had nothing to do at the dorm. In fact, he had no sleep since his trial. He had nightmares of the exorcists and his used-to-be friends turn against him. He even saw Amitiel slit his throat and watched him apathetically as he slowly died in a painful way. Rin was afraid he will never sleep again.

Rin shoved his hands down his side pockets of his black skinny jeans and strolled through the school hallways. He watched as normal, human students passed by him. He felt like he stood out from everyone as they walked in the opposite way. He made his way to a random door and inserted the cram school key in it. He slipped through and made his way to cram school. Once he stood in front of room 1106, his body froze. He made one last attempt at fixing his hair and breathed out a nervous sigh. Rin gathered up the courage to latch onto the door, while holding his juice box in his other hand. "Well, here goes…" Rin pulled the door open and called, "hi, guys!"

Rin stopped when he noticed it was only Shiemi, Takara, and Izumo that were present.

"What the hell? Where is everyone?" Rin asked. "Usually I'm the one that's always late…"

Nobody answered, though it was obvious Shiemi was uncomfortable in his presence.

"They're at the hospital. Miwa-kun had to check in," Izumo finally answered, unfazed by his presence.

"Oh, I see." Rin walked over and plopped down on the spot beside Shiemi. "I hope they're all right!" Rin added with a smile. Shiemi shuffled away from him and looked down without saying a word.

"What's wrong?" Rin noticed her avoiding behaviour. "Are you still scared of me?"

The door opened and Yukio and an exorcist by the name Susumu Yunokawa emerged at the door. "Nii-san! There you are!" Yukio called out.

"I'm not scared!" Shiemi blurted out.

Both Rin and Shiemi bolted out of their seats.

"Huh?! So whaddya get so mad for?!" Rin yelled back. "Should I apologize or somethin'?!"

"N-No! I don't want you to apologize b-but…" Shiemi stopped herself but forced herself forward. "R-Rin… you—!"

"Nii-san!" Yukio called again and grabbed Rin by the shirt and dragged him away.

"What the hell, Yukio?!" Rin shouted in surprise.

"You start a new curriculum, so please follow me," Yukio smiled as if everything was normal.

"Huh, I do?" Rin snorted as Yukio pushed him away towards the door.

"My apologies, Yunokawa-sensei. Please continue with the lesson," Yukio smiled, while Rin frowned and ran his hand through his bangs and shook them to let his bangs fall in front of his face again. So much for trying to look normal.

Shiemi was hurt and guilt-ridden as Rin left the room. Once the door clicked shut, Yunokawa scratched the back of his head, ruffling his curly orange hair, as he was trying to find a way to start the lesson after such a tense moment.

"Um…" He started, fixing his glasses. "I guess everyone knows… Rin Okumura is Satan's son. Surprised? We teachers were surprised as well."

The teacher fetched a few papers and added, "we've prepared certain measures should he be acting strangely. First, run to safety, and report to the nearest teacher or exorcist…"

As Yunokawa was speaking about the precautionary and emergency measures if Rin would go insane, Shiemi zoned out as she recalled everything she learned from Yukio.

_"Nii-san…" Yukio spoke, but interrupted himself as he corrected. "I mean, Rin Okumura was born 15 years ago to a woman that was a host possessed by Satan. Rin inherited Satan's blue flames." Yukio spoke, shocking the students around him._

_They were in the hospital, in Konekomaru's recovery room. After Konekomaru had recovered from surgery, Yukio called everyone so that he could explain Rin's situation together._

_"But… aren't you his twin brother?" Konekomaru started, feeling nervous._

_"I didn't inherit the flames. They test me everyday, but for some reason I'm human," Yukio answered, a little fazed. "Sealing Rin's power within Kurikara made it possible for Rin to live a normal, human life, however, it was only three months ago that he awakened. He didn't even know about it."_

_Shiemi gasped a little as she remembered that the time she met Rin in her garden was when she called him a demon for reacting to the gate._

_Three months ago… Shiemi thought. That's the time we first met…_

_"But why… why did the director and that exorcist raise him?" Ryuji asked._

_"I don't know," was all Yukio answered. "I apologize, but this is all I know." Yukio took a moment to pause before changing the subject. "Also, the Hana Tanaka we knew is also the archangel Amitiel. I never knew angels existed until she showed herself…"_

_Everyone looked at each other nervously. It felt as if they were going to be punished for befriending the son of Satan. They all knew that angels and demons are at war with other, and to be friends with the angels' enemies would mean betraying humanity and Heaven._

_Konekomaru shivered the most out of the group, though Ryuji was trying his hardest to hide his uneasiness._

_"Angels…They really do exist…" Konekomaru whispered, his face became pale. "…so why is Okumura-kun still alive then? I mean, she said she was going to kill him right?"_

_"I don't know the answer to that either," Yukio responded. "All that matters is that she spared him—but I don't know why."_

_"What's really going on? Why are angels making an appearance?" Ryuji spoke, though Yukio got up before he could answer that for him._

_"I think you should ask her those questions yourselves," Yukio said. Before Suguro could speak up, Yukio walked out of the room without saying anything else. Shiemi was familiar with that bland, emotionless stare of his. It was the sign of uncertainty and concern._

_Yuki-chan… was so formal about it, like we were in class…_

Shiemi looked down at the book on her desk—it remained opened and ignored. _I… was so close to them and yet I never knew!_

Shiemi placed her hands over her face and leaned on her desk, in an attempt to hide her frustration and pain.

_I didn't know anything…_

Izumo breathed a huff and looked away from Shiemi before she could catch her sadness.

_Everything seems so… screwed up now…_ Izumo thought as she reluctantly picked up her book and read in an attempt to ignore everything.

* * *

"You can't go anywhere on your own anymore, Nii-san," Yukio spoke as the two walked down a long set of stairs leading deeper underground.

"But I wanted to talk to Shiemi and the others!" Rin protested. He breathed angrily and added, "but then she got mad at me for no apparent reason! Like—" Rin roared in frustration.

"I've never seen Shiemi raise her voice before…" Yukio trailed away without looking back at his brother.

"Huh?" Rin heard him, though Yukio just brushed it off.

"It's nothing," Yukio said as they reached the end of the staircase. Rin could smell humidity and he felt the cold air brush against his skin. The place seemed darker with only a few fluorescent lights hanging from the low ceiling. Rin followed Yukio and stumbled upon a metal door. Yukio pushed it open and Rin stepped in.

When the two went in, Rin noticed how well-illuminated the room was compared to outside it. The room was the size of a gymnasium. Along the walls laid several types of fitness equipment. Rin passed by a wall with many different military edition combat knives hanging up. There were also a secondary room for target practice. Each lane was separated by metal grating and there were guns and wooden swords hanging up on the grates.

"This is the training room. This is where exorcists practice on their skills or get fit," Yukio explained as Rin moved towards the shooting range.

"Whoa! This is so cool! This certainly is better than school!" Rin exclaimed cheerfully. He walked across the shooting range, since he assumed it was empty. The targets looked ordinary, except they're were holes around the circular targets.

"Nii-san, you should stay clear from this zone," Yukio said as he pointed to a sign on a wall indicating that users must stay behind the red line at all costs.

"Who cares?" Rin shrugged off the warning. "I'm positive that it's empty here—"

Rin screamed when a blade flew beside him, skimming only a few strands of his dark blue hair. He backed up suddenly and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Also…" Yukio fixed his glasses. "You will be under Amitiel's constant supervision." Rin looked at the direction the blade was thrown and Amitiel stood there, arm outstretched with another blade in her other hand's grasp.

"What?" Rin gasped.

"You heard him, son of Satan," Amitiel flicked her hand back and the blade wedged itself out of the target and flew back to her hand. She had nothing but a bland look on her face. The same empty one he always saw in her dead eyes.

"Hey, stop calling me that," Rin frowned.

"That's who you are, right?" Amitiel spat, throwing another blade with such power it landed dead-center on the target, almost too far in it.

Rin gulped and backed away from her. He looked away to distract himself from her hostile presence. He walked over to another training square and looked at the control panel.

"Anyways, Shura-san shouldarrie here shortly," Yukio sighed. "Just don't touch anyth—"

Yukio stopped when Rin pushed a button, waking up the control panel from its quiet state. "What's this?" Rin asked, curiously pressing the buttons.

_SELECT MODE._ A computerised female voice spoke.

Yukio sighed again knowing whatever his brother would do would never stop. "This machine stimulates battles against low-level demons. It's an efficient way of improving your hand-eye coordination and stamina."

"I see," Rin said as he pressed a button labelled 'beginner mode'. Rin fetched a wooden sword after the panel announced the mode will begin in ten seconds.

Meanwhile, Yukio decided to sit down on a bench outside Rin's training square. Rin readied himself and a loud beep sounded before balls shot out of the holes encircling the target in front of him. Rin yelped and swung his sword around, attempting to hit them. Most flew past him and hit the metal grating behind him.

Rin noticed how quiet Yukio had become and seized the initiative to force him to spill out his feelings. "Why are so angry now?" Rin shouted above the sound of the target shooting out balls.

"I'm not angry," Yukio spoke, and Amitiel felt he was lying.

The target stopped shooting out balls as the computer announced the match had ended. Rin took a breath to save his energy and replied with a calm grin, "oh, I think you are. When you're angry you always give me the silent treatment."

Yukio merely smiled at his response. "Don't play the big brother just because you came first."

"Well, maybe because I am!" Rin laughed as he pressed the button on the panel again. He thought he deserved another round.

Yukio heaved an exasperated sigh and crossed his arms. "Do you realize what you've just done? You're in no position to goof off. You need to be serious for once!" Yukio spoke, which stopped Rin from preparing for his next round and turned to Yukio behind the grating.

"Hey! I'm doing just _fine_, thank you! At least the academy's still up and running and I ain't dead!" Rin shouted. He forgot about his impending match and the target shot a hoard of balls at him. He screeched and a bunch hit Rin, including his rear and head, forcing him to retreat outside the square. He stood beside Yukio, readily grasping his wooden sword while ignoring the pain on his head and behind. The machine still shot a bunch of balls at the grate. "Oh man, that machine totally trolled me..."

Rin looked at Yukio one more time before he said, "you really need to stop worrying so much about me."

"But if you fail to pass the Exorcist Certification Exam..." Yukio spoke.

"The Order will kill me. I got it," Rin finished Yukio's sentence. "My assassin is right beside me after all. There's no worry!"

Amitiel looked at him with a frown.

"Look at ya Rin. Even with a death sentence on yer ass, yer still chipper than usual," Shura spoke as she strolled in the room, holding a bag and Rin's sword on her shoulder. "With yer tail out, ya look like a monkey!" Shura laughed as she set the bag down. Yukio observed her gettup and realized she had shown up in her pyjamas. She wore a yukata-inspired outfit except it was cropped to flow down like a short miniskirt. Was she wearing anything under there?

"Stop that!" Rin exclaimed, though Shura continued to laugh. "Besides, it's constraining to hide it... I feel more free this way!" Rin spoke as he wagged his tail.

"Well, yer only gonna feel even more constrained, cus Yukio and I will be watching. Amitiel here will probably watch ya in yer sleep," Shura said as she yawned. "So don't wander off on yer own, got it, chump?"

"Got it!" Rin was ecstatic and his tail wagged harder. "So..." Rin saw the bag beside Shura, "what are we gonna do today?"

"Well, first things first, ya need to master yer flames," Shura said as she reached into the bag and tossed a white candle at Rin. He caught it and observed it.

"Huh? A candle?" Rin asked puzzled.

"Yer gonna line up three, then simultaneously light the outside two, leaving the centre one untouched," Shura explained as she gestured the visual of the exercise. "Ya don't need yer sword, right? So do it."

"Alrighty!" Rin exclaimed and lined up three candles. He folded his legs on the ground and stared at the candles for a moment before he started to growl and grunt as he concentrated on lighting the outside candles. Rin raised his fingers up and suddenly the whole space around him exploded in blue flames. Yukio and Amitiel's hearts palpitated against their chests but Shura remained calm.

"Dude, ya look constipated." Shura commented. "Light the candles, not shit yer pants."

"Shut up! I need to concentrate!" Rin screamed.

"You mean constipate."

"ARGH! One more time!" Rin yelled.

Rin repeated the exercise, though no matter how he did it, it only resulted in the candles turning into a puddle of hot wax. Shura commented if Rin was actually trying. After many failed attempts and puddles of wax everywhere, Rin grabbed at his hair and screamed in frustration.

"Argh! It's too hard!" Rin exclaimed.

"Rin, this is about control," Shura spoke, more serious. "Do three sets everyday until ya can do it while picking yer nose. While yer not doing that, you'll also be training your body and mind, including studying."

"Huh?" Rin stopped and looked up at Shura. "What about my sword? There isn't much time for me, y'know!"

"Rin," Shura eyed Rin. "Do you know why yer flames dominate you?"

Rin gulped, but before Rin could answer, Shura said it first. "It's because yer _afraid_, so that's why it overpowers you. The flame of Satan feeds off negative emotions, so ya need to build confidence in yerself. If I think yer ready, then ya can use the Kurikara."

"O-Okay..." Rin huffed in exhaustion. "I'll try."

Once Shura saw Rin return to his exercise, she noticed Yukio was in a trance.

"Hey, you look like a depressed salary-man again," Shura commented beside Yukio. "You up for a match?"

"I'm not here to play your silly games, Shura-san," Yukio protested and remained seated while Shura walked into the target practice area and picked out a wooden sword from the rack.

"Damn, yer no fun! Is it because I kick yer ass every time? The rules are the same. The first to break concentration in unlimited mode loses—"

"—And has to buy dinner," Yukio finished her sentence.

"That's right, Four-Eyes!"

"Fine," Yukio spoke after reminiscing on the past. "But if I win, you have to stop calling me those ridiculous nicknames."

"Oh, yer betting on mere luck y'know!" Shura giggled.

"I've gotten better than before, so watch out," Yukio smiled innocently.

"Dream on, Wimpy!" Shura teased Yukio with a playful smirk.

"Oh come on! You guys get to play around while I sit here and do nothing!?" Rin protested. "That's no fair!"

"Quit yer yappin' and play with wit' yer candles!" Shura yelled at him.

Rin growled and grabbed the fire extinguisher and sprayed at the flaming candles in front of him. Amitiel crossed her arms with an annoyed frown as she watched Rin struggle in controlling a simple trick.

Shura pressed a button on the control panel and Yukio prepared by loading his weapons.

After the machine shouted "begin!" the holes around the target suddenly shot a wave of balls at Yukio and Shura without a sign of slowing down or stopping. Shura reacted by dodging the balls and hitting them with her wooden sword, while Yukio remained in place as he shot at the balls.

Shura and Yukio's quick coordination and reaction-time provoked Rin to gasp in utter amazement. "H-Holy shit!" Rin exclaimed. "They're hitting every single one!"

Rin looked back at the molten candles in front of him, defeated. "And I can't even light up some stupid candles without burning the place down..."

Rin stopped when Amitiel reached into the bag and pulled out three new candles. She lined them up in front of her and went on the ground, folding her legs and bringing her hands together in a meditative state. Amitiel stared at the candles, closed her eyes, and breathed out. Once she opened them, the wicks of the outside two candles lit up by a spark of light.

Rin snorted loudly in amazement. "Oh my god! You made it look so _easy_!" Rin gaped in awe.

Amitiel looked away to avoid his blue eyes and replied, "it's not that difficult. It's all about maintaining peace within yourself and concentration. It's nothing special."

Rin stared at her with shining blue eyes, but blinked as he asked, "... Why are you helping me, Hana?"

"That's not my name," Amitiel bluntly replied. She began to stand up while Rin was trying to remember her true name.

"So... your real name is Ami...? Ami..." Rin struggled in remembering. It was a truly unusual name to pronounce in his language.

"Amitiel," She corrected.

Rin stayed silent as he looked down, remembering that this person before him was an actually angel. This being before him was sent to kill him. He was confident that Amitiel must hate him for lying about himself this whole time, to the point he actually felt scared around her. It tortured him that his identity may have shattered his relationship with everyone around him, and the one he hurt the most was Amitiel. He knew he had to try to make amends with her at some point—before she kills him.

"Please listen to me..." Rin suddenly spoke.

Amitiel interrupted him. "No. It's too late now."

"So you hate me," Rin blurted out, though she wasn't shocked by that, since it was the truth.

Amitiel tried to hide her anger on her face as she sighed, "... I have been forced to make a bargain with the Vatican. If you kill anyone, I _will_ kill you."

"But you wont."

"I will."

"No, you wont! Then explain why you didn't do it back at True Cross Academy," Rin stood up, raising his voice with him.

"Because all of you. You... You did something to me," Amitiel clenched her teeth and fists. "I would never have mercy on anyone, but you changed that about me. So tell me, son of Satan, have you deceived me?"

Rin's last sliver of happiness died out. His eyes darkened and he looked down. "Am I a bad person now?" He whispered.

"Don't get me started on that," Amitiel spoke with a hint of anger in her tone.

"What do you think of me, then? Despite all those things you've said to me, about my inner angels... Is it all true? Or was it all just lies?" Rin inquired.

As soon as he finished, Amitiel whipped her eyes to him and glared. "I would _never_ lie."

"Well, sure seems to me that you think I'm just... The damned son of Satan, right? Oh, how about you just forget my name? Let me just tell you this, I was scared. I was scared to show myself, and see my own friends' reject me, what shocked me though... was that I was right." Rin shook his head. "Actually, I shouldn't even be shocked, because who would want to be friends with something like me?"

"Don't force me to have sympathy for you, the Devil's spawn," Amitiel growled. She stomped away and exited the training room, leaving Rin alone with himself again, as Shura and Yukio were busy sparring.

At that very moment, Rin regretted everything: Making friends, True Cross Academy, that job interview.

He regretted not killing himself that cold, rainy day.

Rin smacked his face in his head and roared, "DAMMIT!" in utter frustration. At the same time, flames erupted around him and flooded the training facility. Yukio and Shura stopped midway through their sparring when they realized the entire room was burning up in blue flames. Shura and Yukio screamed in horror when the flames licked their clothes, thankful their skin was safe. Though Shura was the one trying to avoid touching the flames. After the blue fire subsided, Shura and Yukio noticed a cool breeze touch their bodies. The red-haired woman looked down at her chest and covered it up with her hands.

The two distraught exorcists slowly turned their heads back to the source. Rin sat still, abashed at what he had just done. The place was charred with soot and the metal fences dividing the target range was completely melted away within seconds.

"Nii-san… what are you doing…?" Yukio asked slowly, despite anger was flaring inside him. Rin's forehead formed sweat when he noticed Yukio and Shura were naked safe for their underwear.

Amitiel charged back into the facility and was horrified at what she witnessed. Smoke emitted everywhere and burning debris laid on the ground. She shot a fierce glare at Rin and was relieved to find that Yukio and Shura were okay.

"What happened here?!" Amitiel yelled. She stomped towards Rin but he stood up and backed away before she could draw her blades on him.

"I-I didn't mean to! I just, well, um… Sorry…!" Rin babbled desperately for his life. There were still flickers of blue flame dancing on his clothes.

"You almost burnt the academy down… again!" Amitiel yelled, eyes flaring. "Give me a legitimate reason why I shouldn't eliminate you right now!"

"But I didn't! See?!" Rin pointed at Yukio and Shura. "I may have burnt your clothes off—but not you or yer underpants! That counts as control, right?!" Rin protested, smiling foolishly.

Rin's only response was a nasty glare from Yukio. "I swear I'll kill you myself…"

"I said I'm sorry! At least you're not dead!" Rin smiled through his embarrassment and scratched the back of his neck. Before Yukio could threaten him any longer, Rin dashed away and fetched the nearest fire extinguisher. Shura and Yukio looked at each other silently and awkwardly for a moment before she broke the atmosphere and said, "I guess it's a tie this time, huh?"

Yukio sighed and looked at his hand. Shura noted how much he resembled Rin without his glasses. "Ah, it's not a big deal but… I feel much better now." Yukio smiled, this time he meant it. "Thank you."

"We will settle this sometime," Shura added calmly despite the awkwardness of the situation.

After that, Yukio's phone began to buzz on the floor. Luckily it hadn't been damaged by Rin's flames. Rin ran back with a fire extinguisher and Shura demanded him to hand her his shirt. Rin struggled to unbutton his shirt while also carrying a large fire extinguisher. Yukio picked up his phone and answered it while walking away. "This is Okumura…"

Amitiel looked around between Rin, Shura and Yukio. Rin was busy extinguishing his flames while Shura borrowed Rin's shirt and figured out what to say to the higher-ups about the damage.

Yukio cancelled the call and spoke, "there's an emergency summon for north true cross. Coal tars have infested an old housing complex and dozens have fallen to Temptaint."

Amitiel's eyes flicked to him as Shura asked, "what's the cause?"

"Unknown," Yukio replied. "The Order has requested any nearby exorcists with doctor credentials to report to the site. I'll have to go, you need to come as well since you're also a doctor, right?"

"Right, but…" Shura looked back at Rin, who was struggling on functioning the extinguishing. "We're supposed to watch him."

Rin's head went up and he hummed in curiosity. "Huh? Is there something wrong?"

"It's none of your business," Yukio replied sharply. "Our top priority is keeping an eye on you."

"I'll watch over him for you," Amitiel jumped in. Yukio and Shura looked at each other reluctantly but Shura nodded. Yukio was still hesitant.

"Oh, come on! I wanna try to help! Let me make up for burning your clothes off!" Rin whined, and proceeded to go down on his knees and begged.

"Seriously?" Yukio sighed. "… Fine, but you will stay with Hana… Amitiel at all times, got it?" Yukio pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Got it!" Rin smiled eagerly.

"Are you sure about this? I forbid him from approaching anyone," Amitiel protested.

Shura added, "don't worry about it. If he does end up being a pain in the ass for ya, I'll take babysittin' duty."

Amitiel crossed her arms and hesitated. Rin made puppy eyes at her and she huffed arrogantly. "… If he kills anyone, I will eliminate him. Don't fail me."

Shura's nose wrinkled, "I'm not workin' for ya or any of that shit. At least give him a chance."

"He's had many chances and failed at each one. No matter how you see it, the son of Satan must die." Amitiel's eyes darkened and Rin's heart died inside.

Rin felt dead already.

* * *

**A/N: THIS IS IT. IT IS FINISHED AT LAST.**

**Thank you so much everyone for your support! I never thought this story would get any recognition... but the fact it has urges me to continue on to the next step in this story! You appreciating my work is inspiring enough for me to continue! Seriously, you guys have no idea how much you mean to me. I think every fanfic writer can relate lmfao.**

**The next story will be called Impure Fire btw stay tuned fellow exorcists!**

**EDIT: UPDATED ON AUGUST 22, 2016**

**EDIT2: Impure Fire will be out around december 2016/january 2017**


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